April 2024 - 15

Mike Thornton addressed attendees at the 2023 Parma
Research and Extension Center's field day on Aug. 17.
Photos by Bill Schaefer.
and director of Food and Dairy Innovation
Center for BSU. Bevan is the director of the
U of I Food Technology Center in Caldwell,
and Guenthner is an emeritus professor of
agricultural economics at U of I.
POTATO PREPARATION
During the 2022 and 2023 growing
season, Thornton, assisted by Ajay Atkinson
(Atkinson also works with Owen McDougal
during the fall and spring semesters), an
undergraduate assistant for BSU, and the
Parma staff, grew three varieties of potatoes
for the study: Alturas, Clearwater Russet
and Russet Burbank, varieties commonly
processed to make french fries.
" We went from the middle of July to the
middle of August, six weeks, five days a week,
smoked them really heavy every morning, "
Thornton said of the process. " We (were) trying
to replicate what history told us would be the
highest risk time, and that matches with when
the tubers are bulking, when the plants are
putting on most of their yield. So you think
that if the smoke is going to cause an impact, it
should be at that time of year. "
Thornton said that over the two-year average,
researchers saw U.S. No. 1 yield drop by 3%
compared to the control group, with a 2% drop
in tubers over 6 ounces in size and an increase
in culls of 2%.
" We had fewer large size potatoes and more
culls, so it does seem like just the chemicals
in smoke - if you take out what it's doing to
light intensity, what it's doing to temperature,
humidity - the chemical constituents in smoke
itself seem to be affecting the growth of the
potato plant, " Thornton said.
The one consistency through both years of
trials was the lack of an impact on total yield.
" We didn't see an impact on total yield, both
years, " Thornton said. " It ended up on average
across the two years being almost identical total
yields when you put all the data together. "
Smoke's impact on potatoes, Thornton said,
is not dramatic and is comparatively similar to
other forms of stress such as heat or lack
of water.
" My conjecture would be that if you have
those (heat and/or water stress) and you have
the smoke come in, that's going to hurt those
fields more than fields that aren't under stress, "
he said. " It compounds any stress that's already
going on. "
POSTHARVEST ANALYSIS
Following harvest, the potatoes were sent to
McDougal at BSU.
Spudman.com 15

http://www.Spudman.com

April 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of April 2024

Editor's Letter
Breeding breakthroughs
Psyllid watch
Trail by smoke
Digging up answers
Immense impact
Potato Association of America
National Potato Council
Potatoes USA
Calendar/Ad Index
April 2024 - 1
April 2024 - 2
April 2024 - 3
April 2024 - Editor's Letter
April 2024 - 5
April 2024 - 6
April 2024 - 7
April 2024 - Breeding breakthroughs
April 2024 - 9
April 2024 - 10
April 2024 - 11
April 2024 - Psyllid watch
April 2024 - 13
April 2024 - Trail by smoke
April 2024 - 15
April 2024 - 16
April 2024 - Digging up answers
April 2024 - 18
April 2024 - 19
April 2024 - Immense impact
April 2024 - 21
April 2024 - Potato Association of America
April 2024 - 23
April 2024 - National Potato Council
April 2024 - Potatoes USA
April 2024 - Calendar/Ad Index
April 2024 - 27
April 2024 - 28
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https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/january-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/november-december-2020
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https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/SPUD/november-december-2019
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