By Mark Mendiola
Western Correspondent

A new Ivory Crisp potato variety bred at the Aberdeen Research and Extension Center, in conjunction with other states, promises to be ideal for the potato chip industry because of its high tuber solids and cold storage attributes.

Dr. Stephen L. Love, the eastern Idaho center's superintendent and a potato variety development specialist, finds it difficult to contain his enthusiasm for the round, medium-maturing potato that's starting to gain attention among growers.

Ivory Crisp's name reflects its color and its chipping qualities. It's white, and it fries to a crisp. It also is suited for use in both the direct delivery market and storage chipping market.

It can be marketed directly from the field as an early or late harvest crop or following storage. It requires a relatively large amount of nitrogen fertilizer to maximize yields.

"There's a long story behind Ivory Crisp," Love said. "This variety has taken an interesting route."

The new variety is a cross between a 1980 North Dakota line and one developed at the Aberdeen center. Idaho, Oregon, Washington and North Dakota experiment stations and the USDA's Agricultural Research Service released it in 2002. Paperwork is in the process of being finalized, Love said.

Releasing it transfers ownership from universities to the public.

Ivory Crisp was introduced into Oregon from North Dakota State University's greenhouses in 1984 as a seedling tuber. It went through four years of evaluation in statewide trials.

"It initially was identified as a potentially useful variety," Love said.

It was included in the Western Regional Chipping Trial in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Seed increases and commercial trials also were conducted in Idaho prior to its release. It was the most outstanding of 30 varieties in trial last year, Love said.

Ivory Crisp has medium-to-high yield potential, high solids, and resistance to most internal and external defects. It's resistant to growth cracks, secondary growth, hollow heart and stem-end necrosis, but susceptible to shatter bruise, common scab, powdery scab and pink rot.

The Northwest Potato Variety Development Program was initiated in 1985 by a federal grant to operate as a single unit. It is designed to develop new varieties that will benefit the potato industry in Idaho, Washington and Oregon, which produce nearly 60 percent of U.S. potatoes.

Old standard varieties comprised nearly 90 percent of Northwest production in 1990. In 2000, that had shrunk to slightly more than 50 percent. Among the new potato varieties introduced by the tri-state program are Gemchip, Frontier Russet, Ranger Russet, Century Russet, Umatilla Russet, Russet Legend, Bannock Russet, IdaRose and Gem Russet.

Ivory Crisp is among the newest to be released by the University of Idaho. Its main advantage is its cold storage potential, Love said. Cold-stored potatoes have more of a tendency of converting starch to sugar, which makes brown chips. Fry potatoes react with amino acids to get a dark color and burned taste.

"Everybody wants nice white, golden potato chips," Love said, noting most chipped potatoes are stored at 52 degrees or higher, but the Ivory Crisps can be stored at 42 degrees to 43 degrees and not lose their quality.

"That doesn't sound like a lot, but with potatoes, it's a huge difference with potential storage," he said. The colder temperatures kill rot organisms, reduce respiration and cut water loss. "You can save thousands of dollars in every storage by lowering temperatures that much."

Love said the Ivory Crisp is a better texture chip and takes up less oil in the cooking process. The Upper Midwest and South Central Canada are the most interested in it.

"Its release hung it out there, and we're waiting for the industry to pick it up," Love said. "Whether Ivory Crisp is grown here is dictated by acceptance by Frito-Lay."

Love estimated chipper spuds represent 3 percent to 4 percent of southern Idaho's potato industry, which is "a pretty significant presence" given the high volume of potatoes grown in the region, Love said. Bingham County grows the most potatoes of any county in the nation – about 60,000 acres.

While there has been some Ivory Crisp interest shown in Idaho, the main interest is in Minnesota, North Dakota and Manitoba. "That isn't terribly surprising. It was bred from material in the Midwest," Love said.

Smaller chip makers also have discovered they really like it, he said. "Farmers like it because it reduces their risk. …This variety reconditions as good as any I've handled."

Love has been at the Aberdeen Research and Extension Center for 19 years. The center’s 80 full-time employees include nine University of Idaho; 10 Agricultural Research Service; and three Natural Resources Conservation Service scientists; 38 technical support staff; eight clerical staff; and 14 farm and maintenance workers.

The center consists of about 440 acres of land, 360 of which are used for irrigation crop research. Four wells and the Aberdeen/Springfield Canal Company supply irrigation water.

Idaho faculty research irrigated and dryland wheat variety development, potato variety development, potato disease, weed and insect management, potato and small grain irrigation and nutrient management, and improved cultural practices for all major crops grown in the area.

The center's 30 buildings include two office buildings, fully equipped laboratories for cereal and potato research, 10 greenhouses, three potato storages, a shop, chemical building and smaller structures.

The USDA Agricultural Research Service also has extensive potato, barley and oat breeding and genetics programs at the Aberdeen center. The USDA National Small Grains Germplasm Research Facility and the Natural Resources Conservation Service Plant Materials Center also are located there.

The small grains center is adding a $4.5 million addition to increase its space. Construction could begin in early 2005 or even late this year.

Built in 1988, the ARS constructed it to provide storage for the internationally known National Small Grains Collection. The 32,000-square-foot center stores more than 118,000 accessions of wheat, barley, oat, rice, rye and triticale germplasm.

The plant materials center assembles, evaluates and releases new plant materials for conservation plantings and managing plants to conserve soil and protect water in the Intermountain West. It serves parts of Idaho, Nevada, Utah, California and Oregon, covering about 130 million acres.

"Unless you've worked here, you really don't have a feeling for the scope and complexity of what we do here," Love said, noting the center has strong breeding programs for potatoes, wheat, barley and oats.

The small grains repository and concentrated potato expertise also give the center international prestige.

The center was established in 1911 as the Aberdeen Substation to serve irrigated and dryland agriculture. That was after a land grant university system was created in the late 1800s and due to "the foresight of some early community fathers," Love said.

The local community raised funds used to buy the property, which was leased by the University of Idaho. It then was composed of 80 acres with 16 irrigated acres. UI regents bought the land in 1925, and it became known as the Aberdeen Branch Station.

Born in Caldwell, Love, 47, grew up in the Idaho Falls and Blackfoot areas. He and his wife, Monaquita, raised four children. He attended Ricks College in Rexburg for a year and earned a bachelor of science degree in horticulture from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. He earned his Ph.D. in plant physiology and genetics from Clemson University in South Carolina.

Not only is Idaho a great place to raise a family, it's ideal for researching potatoes, Love said. Love estimated up to 14 percent of the state's gross domestic product is related to the potato processing industry.