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The economic impact of investment in the Pacific Northwest potato variety development program

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Abstract

Genetic improvement has been the principle contributor to productivity growth in almost all field crops. The Pacific Northwest (PNW) had the highest rate of potato yield growth combined with the least amount of varietal change in any specialized major field crop-producing region in North America. A coordinated potato variety development program, jointly funded by the USDA, the three land grant universities, and the potato industry in the PNW, was established in 1984. The program developed 17 new potato varieties during the 1989–2001 period, two of them are emerging as successful processing varieties.

Ranger Russet, released in 1991, and Umatilla Russet, released in 1998, possess several desired quality and production traits. The most important of these traits is 20% higher processing yield than present varieties. Since their release, there has been significant increase in the percentage of potato area planted with these new varieties.

The weighted average adoption rate of these new varieties in the PNW in 2000 was about 16% of the area planted with potato. This represents 32.5% of Washington’s potato acreage, 14.3% of Oregon’s potato acreage, and 9.0% of Idaho’s potato acreage.

The benefit to investments in the PNW Potato Variety Development Program attributed only to the flow of benefits from the adoption of Ranger Russet and Umatilla Russet is estimated at over $104.3 million in year 2000 and projected to increase to $213.595 million in year 2014 and thereafter. Rate of return to investment is estimated at 35%.

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Abbreviations

PNW:

Pacific Northwest = Washington, Oregon, Idaho; three of the United States

USDA:

United States Department of Agriculture

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Idaho, 83844, Moscow, Idaho

    A. A. Araji

  2. Department of Plant, Soil, and Entomological Sciences, University of Idaho, 83210, Aberdeen, Idaho

    S. Love

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  1. A. A. Araji
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  2. S. Love
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Correspondence to A. A. Araji.

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Araji, A.A., Love, S. The economic impact of investment in the Pacific Northwest potato variety development program. Am. J. Pot Res 79, 411–420 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02871686

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