Four potato researchers were honored for the work with potatoes, being named Honorary Life Members by the Potato Association of America (PAA).
The PAA (https://potatoassociation.org/) is comprised of researchers and technicians who study all aspects of potatoes. According to the association, “The PAA serves as the official professional society for those involved in potato research, extension, production, and utilization. The Association provides opportunities to contribute in one or more of six sections: Breeding & Genetics, Certification, Extension, Production & Management, Plant Protection, Physiology, and Utilization & Marketing.”
The four researchers honored at PAA’s annual meeting, held this summer in Missoula, MT, for their lifetime of potato research are: Russell E. Ingham, Gregory Porter, Kenneth Rykbost and Michael Thornton.
We highlighted Gregory Porter and Russell Ingham yesterday and now highlight Michael Thornton and Kenneth Rykbost.
Michael Thornton
With his being named as a PAA Life Member, Mike Thornton joins a long list of family members who have received the same honor. All four—Robert E, Sam, Robert K. and Mike Thornton were all in attendance at this summer’s PAA meeting in Missoula.
Robert E. (1982) and two of his sons, Sam (2007) and Mike (2017), are all PAA past presidents. Robert E. was named an Honorary Life Member (HLM) in 1988 while Sam was named an HLM in 2014. Robert K. was named an HLM last year (2021) and Mike this year.
Mike Thornton talked about that legacy in his remarks in accepting the HLM, along with other past honorees.
“As we went through the program this week, they have the list of HLMs and again, I look at that list and it includes three of my family members. I am in awe of every single person on that list. I don’t know how I got here. So that’s the question I pondered the last couple of weeks. How does a guy who might just be the fourth best potato scientist in his family end up with a career like this? Well, that’s a really good question.
“One of the sayings in my program when it’s a tough day is if we’re not having fun we’re not doing this right because potato science should be fun.
“If you would have asked 5-year old Mike Thornton what he wanted to do when he grew up … something where I can play in the dirt every day. So here we are six decades almost later … I still get to play in the dirt every day. How can that not be fun? It’s the best job ever.”
Following is the PAA bio for Michael Thornton.
Mike Thornton has been an incredible asset to the potato industry. His dedicated 40 plus year career to the potato industry, science, and the Potato Association of America has been outstanding and unwavering. His 26 plus years at the University of Idaho as a potato/onion specialist and professor of plant sciences, complimented with 6 years in non-academic potato industry, foundational graduate work in Horticulture (M.S. Colorado State University) and Plant Science (Ph.D. University of Idaho), and his family legacy have made Thornton a well-rounded, highly experienced, and greatly appreciated potato researcher.
Thornton’s willingness to contribute so much as an active member of the PAA shows his strong commitment to the mission of the PAA. Thornton has been a member of the PAA since 1984. In the past 38 years with the Potato Association of America, he has been President (2016-17), Past-President, President-Elect, Vice-President, Director on the Executive Committee, Chair of the site selection committee, member of the Finance and Endowment Committee, member of the Nominations Committee, member of the HLM Committee, member of the Constitution and Bylaws Committees, Senior Editor, member of the Editorial Board, member of two Symposium Committees, Director of the Production and Management Section, Chair of the Physiology Section and Production and Management Section, member and chair of the Membership Committee, and active member on three Local Arrangements Committees for Idaho. Thornton has co-authored over 50 abstracts published in the American Journal of Potato Research signifying his dedication to presenting, or aiding in the dissemination, of research at the annual PAA meeting.
Thornton is a true scientist: non-bias in his thinking and approach, open to new ideas and concepts, entrenched in a solid foundation of science and knowledge of the literature, and a remarkable ability to represent and interpret data to achieve the greatest insight. He has collaborated with diverse groups, colleagues, and industry partners to investigate and research important topics for the potato industry.
Thornton magically blends his incredible aptitude of the science and physiology of the crop with undeniable understanding of potato production, storage, transportation, uses, and marketing. His ability to blend the two has produced applied solutions for the industry and foundational science for others to build upon. Thornton has co-authored more than 300 diverse potato publications and presented over 500 potato presentations to varied audiences.
Leadership and mentoring are two qualities strongly associated with Thornton. His leadership extended far with international collaborations and activities with EAPR as the US county representative and member of the editorial board, and national activities such as his leadership on the National Potato Anti-Bruise Committee for eight years. His contribution to the potato industry is integrated in and woven throughout the entire national and global industry.
Thornton is a great friend of the potato industry and a wonderful family member of the PAA.
Kenneth Rykbost
(ED—Rykbost was not able to attend this year’s PAA meeting so we don’t have any comments from him but here is his PAA bio.)
Rykbost was born in Marion, New York, and spent his early childhood growing up on a farm in Canandaigua, New York. His family raised milk cows and a multitude of crops to support the herd. He obtained his BS and MS degrees from Cornell in Agricultural Engineering and Agronomy, respectively. He obtained a Soil Science PhD from Oregon State University in 1973 under the direction of Dr. Larry Boersma. His thesis research involved studies that were ahead of their time in the sense of exploring environmental impacts.
He looked at cropping systems using waste heat from steam electrical plants to enhance plant growth - heating greenhouses and using subsurface line heat sources to enhance production. He investigated the contributions that fertilizers were making to groundwater pollution. This early interest on the interface of crop production and the environment carried through his entire career.
Following graduation, Rykbost took a job as a research associate with Cornell at its Long Island Vegetable Research Farm. He investigated nitrogen fertilizer use efficiency of turfgrass and potatoes. In 1976, he took a job as a crop scientist with McCain Foods, an international potato growing and processing company. He did potato research and extension work in Maine and New Brunswick, Canada, while stationed in Florenceville, New Brunswick. He also had responsibility for McCain agronomy programs in Europe. Evaluating long-term rotations and determining yield impacts of missing plants on tuber yield and quality were a major focus of his early career with McCain. His greatest impact to McCain and the North American potato process industry came from his work with Shepody. He first evaluated F69016 (Clone # of Shepody before variety release) in 1978 and was amazed at its size and shape for making French fries. However, the clone performed poorly in multiple locations throughout the Maritime Region and was discarded from the program because of tendencies for misshapen tubers.
Rykbost spent several years researching how to manage this clone for optimum yield, tuber size and shape uniformity for processing. In addition, he researched best management practices for seed production as tubers tended to get very large. His efforts and research results played a major role in the eventual release of the variety as Shepody. His work with McCain prepared him for his job with Oregon State University. In 1987, Rykbost was named superintendent of the Klamath Experiment Station (KES; now the Klamath Basin Research and Extension Center) and served in that role until his retirement in 2003. In addition to station superintendent responsibilities, he was responsible for the potato research program in the Basin.
Rykbost’s contributions to the Pacific Northwest potato industry actually began before he assumed the position of Superintendent of KES. The Treasure Valley of eastern Oregon and western Idaho was having significant problems with sugar ends in Russet Burbank. He networked with Dr. Clint Shock who was Superintendent at the OSU Malheur Experiment Station to begin evaluating Shepody as it is less sensitive to environmental stresses related to temperature and moisture extremes common to the area. Early evaluation was quite successful and Shepody eventually expanded in acreage. It has been said that the introduction of Shepody saved the processing potato industry in the Treasure Valley and in some circles, Rykbost is best known as the ‘Shepherd of the Shepody.’
The Tri-state Potato Program was initiated about three years before Rykbost became Superintendent at KES. He was extremely active in this program and initiated a red-skinned selection program in the Klamath Basin evaluating material from Dr. Joseph Pavek at USDA-ARS in Aberdeen, ID, and Dr. Robert Johannsen at NDSU. His efforts resulted in the release of Modoc, which has been a major fresh market red variety the past several years. Rykbost was quite active in other disciplines of traditional research related to potato production. He investigated nitrogen fertilizer impacts. He explored the impacts of micronutrients. He looked at the effect of mulches. He ventured into issues of pest control – diseases and nematodes. He did variety and cultural management by variety trials. He was a speaker on potato agronomic practices at professional and producer conferences in Canada, Maine, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, California, England and Scotland. He did collaborative work with colleagues at KES on forages and cereal grains.
While Rykbost was peer and producer recognized for his agronomic work and insights, his greatest impacts in Oregon were likely in the area of providing a voice for agriculture and common sense in the water wars that ensued in the early 1990s in the Klamath Basin. Salmon populations in the Klamath River were fluctuating wildly. Suckers in Upper Klamath Lake were listed as endangered. The solutions that fish and wildlife managers proposed all seemed simple from a fish standpoint – keep more water in Klamath Lake while sending more water down the Klamath River – but these were impractical, if not impossible from the perspective of maintaining an agricultural industry in the Basin and in maintaining the federal waterfowl refuges that also exist in the area. Rykbost was a scientist and tried to explain with facts and figures the challenges that the local communities faced. He was a frequent editorial writer to the local paper and was sought as an information source by other scientists who were trying to find a solution to the water crisis in the Basin.
The following are the ending paragraphs of an editorial Rykbost wrote in the Klamath Herald and News on March 19, 2001. They typify his approach to addressing issues.
“Historical data clearly show the Upper Klamath Basin watershed is not capable of meeting US Fish and Wildlife Service minimum lake elevations and National Marine Fisheries Service (Hardy Phase I) minimum flows at Iron Gate in about one year in three, even if the Klamath Irrigation Project and Lower Klamath and Tulelake national wildlife refuges do not receive any diversion from Klamath Lake. Furthermore, in some of those years, one of the targets will be violated to meet the other one. This year is almost certain to fall within the one in three years of inadequate supplies for these targets.
“History has demonstrated that Klamath Lake suckers have survived lake elevations of 3 feet below the target elevation of 4,140.0 in 1992 and 1994. History has shown a successful recruitment of Chinook salmon in 1992 when flows at Iron Gate Dam were about 500 cubic feet per second (cfs) or less from February through September, except for 26 days in April and June when flows were about 800 cfs. Nearly 400,000 Chinook salmon returned to the river in 1995 and 1996, the highest return in 40 years (source — Pacific Fishery Management Council). The establishment of operating requirements that are physically impossible to meet, and that were not achieved in historical times, demonstrates an arrogant disregard for common sense.”
Those who follow endangered species activities will know that the water crisis in the Klamath Basin is still unresolved but there have been several attempts over time to use a science-based, common sense approach to try to achieve a solution to the issue. Rykbost was a pioneer in bringing that perspective to the issue.
Rykbost joined the Potato Association of America in 1973 at the beginning of his career working with potatoes. He authored or co-authored more than 25 journal manuscripts and a similar number of abstracts. He served the PAA as a manuscript reviewer, attended most annual meetings, and was a member until his retirement in 2005. His many contributions to the potato industry, voice of reason and advocacy of irrigated agriculture in the West are reasons to celebrate his induction as an Honorary Life Member to the PAA.