This article appears in the January 2017 issue of Potato Grower.
Idaho produces over 30,000 acres of certified seed potatoes annually. The reputation of high-quality seed potatoes earned by Idaho is due in large part to the careful production practices of the state’s seed potato growers, but also to the meticulous certification program led by the Idaho Crop Improvement Association. Seed potato that has been certified in Idaho means the seed lot has undergone a minimum of two in-field inspections, a bin/harvest inspection, post-harvest testing, and shipping point inspection for grade.
When purchasing seed, commercial growers would do well to employ the following seed buying guidelines:
- Purchase certified seed.
- Use reputable growers.
- Know the seed grower and visit the seed farm while the crop is growing.
- Obtain documentation.
- Make sure the seed is tagged.
When making seed purchasing decisions, the most important recommendation is to purchase certified seed from a reputable grower. Building a relationship with the seed grower, based on open communication, can help the commercial grower know if there are legitimate seed-related problems so that corrective actions can be taken to continue to provide high-quality seed in the future.
It is always a good idea to obtain documentation of field inspections, bin/harvest inspection, tag and post-harvest testing results (and other testing). All of these bits of information are summarized on the North American Certified Seed Potato Health Certificate. Importantly, the certificate also documents historical detections of the bacterial ring rot pathogen. In Idaho, if bacterial ring rot is found on a seed farm, seed potatoes cannot be grown on the farm for one year.
The purchaser needs to be sure the seed is tagged with the official certification tag (placed after the shipping point inspection). Seed isn’t considered certified without this tag. This tag contains the variety name, class, weight, optional truck and/or trailer license numbers, seal number, grower, optional buyer’s name, certification number, inspector’s name and date of inspection.
Once a purchasing decision is made, it is wise to prep the receiving farm and equipment before any seed arrives on-site. Pathogens such as the one that causes bacterial ring rot can be harbored in unclean facilities, trucks and equipment. The risk of contaminating a good seed lot is very real if adequate sanitation practices aren’t followed in the commercial arena.