One of the challenges with potato variety development is learning how new varieties will perform when stored in the large piles used in commercial facilities. Varietal weaknesses to pressure bruise and storage diseases may not be discovered until late in the development process, which can lead to expensive failures. The Storage Research Facility of the UW Hancock Agricultural Research Station has several bulk bins designed to stimulate the height (~ 20 ft.) of a commercial pile with a smaller footprint to reduce the amount of potatoes needed. Even so, each bin requires about 200,000 lbs of potatoes, which is the amount harvested on 4-5 acres.
Plover Russet (W9133-1rus) is a new fresh market variety with a high percentage of U.S No. 1 tubers due to its large size profile and consistent, blocky shape. In collaboration with Plover River Farms and the WPVGA, a bulk bin trial of this new variety is being conducted during the 2020-21 storage season.
