b'Turning Back The ClockA Look Back 25 Years Ago at Excerpts fromThe March 1991 Issue ofThe ValleyPotato Grower MagazineMore Genetically Altered Snowden,RussetNorkotah,and So what do these improved varietiesVarieties Coming Dark Red Norland. meantogrowers?Asthesenewproducts are marketed, growers willWhile the NewLeaf Russet Burbanks While no availability date has been beabletofarmmoreefficiently.delivered great performance results determined,NatureMarksaysthey This means farmers can choose toin1995,theysoonwontbethe havealsofoundwaystoprotect usefewerchemicalcontrols,andonlypotatoesimprovedthrough potatoesfromlateblight, rely on the improved seed and nat-plantbiotechnologyavailableto Verticillium (early dying) and bacte- uralresourceslikesunlight,water,growers. rial soft rot. These disease resistant and fresh air for 100 percent protec-potatoes will enter field trials later tion. NatureMark hopes to introduce for this year.the1997growingseasonNewLeaf SincetheimprovementsmadetoAtlanticsandNewLeafSuperiors these potato varieties are integratedthat are 100 percent protected from insidetheplant,itsaconvenientthe Colorado potato beetle.and effective way to grow potatoes.Within the next few seasons, grow- For instance, growers benefit fromerscanalsolookforwardtotwo season-longcontrolwithoutthepotatovarietiesthathaveprotec- hassles of spraying.This not onlytion from serious potato viruses, the savesgrowerstimeandiseasytoNewLeaf Plus Russet Burbank is pro- use, but NewLeaf seeds perform justtectedfromtheColoradopotato as well and sometimes better thanbeetle and the potato Leafroll virus unimproved varieties.(PLRV), which causes tuber net neu-rosis, while the Shepody NewLeaf-Y Fewer sprays may also result in ancombinesbeetleprotectionwith increasednumberofbeneficialprotectionfrompotatomosaic insects,whichprovideanother(PVY). Inaddition,NatureMarkisalso form of natural pest control.Anddevelopingprocessingpotatoes since consumers are always lookingOther varieties that should soon be withhigherandmoreuniformly for foods grown in a better way, theon the market with this combined distributed solids for more efficient demandsforthesekindsofprod-virus/beetleprotectioninclude processing and less fat absorption. ucts will continue to rise.14 POTATO GROWER MARCH 2021'