This Spuds for You- The US Potato Gene Bank- Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin
Jan 13, 2025
The United States early in its history had seen the importance of collecting plant germplasm from this nation and around the world. (Germplasm are living genetic resources such as seeds or tissues that are maintained for plant breeding, preservation, and research.) Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson were huge believers in collecting seed from countries where the US had ambassadors stationed. One of Jefferson’s goals when sending Lewis and Clark to explore the Louisiana Purchase in 1804 was to collect unique seed and plant tissue from the newly purchased land from France. (The United States paid $15 million or 3 cents per acre for this territory!) The purpose behind collecting this germplasm was to find profitable crops for American farmers and to breed improved qualities and characteristics into crops from these genetic acquisitions. Abraham Lincoln established the Department of Agriculture in 1862 during the Civil War. One of this department’s main responsibilities was the collection, testing, and distribution of seeds and plants. Professional plant exploration and controlled introduction began in 1898 when the USDA established the Section of Seed and Plant Introduction. Plant introductions from this country and foreign nations became the basis of crop improvement. Plant breeders and other researchers used these introductions to breed new varieties for stress and pest resistance which allowed for higher yields. Genetic material was obtained from participants involved in US naval expeditions overseas, diplomats stationed in foreign countries, and agricultural explorers who spent most of their time in foreign lands collecting germplasm. This germplasm that was collected was sent to State Agricultural Experiment Stations across the country where the plants were tested, evaluated, and propagated. The propagated germplasm would then be sent to domestic and foreign researchers for crop improvement purposes. It would be in 1946 when Congress mandated the formation of the National Potato Introduction Station and Regional Plant Introduction Stations. The purpose for these stations or gene banks was to maintain the collected germplasm in an orderly way to maintain and propagate the material for plant breeders and researchers nationwide and worldwide.
The National Plant Germplasm System is composed of gene banks and support units from 20 locations across the US. Each gene bank is responsible for a unique set of crops that it maintains and propagates. The gene banks also distribute germplasm to researchers and breeders around the world for the improvement of crops. The following are just a few of the locations that have gene banks. Aberdeen, South Dakota has germplasm for small grains. College Station, Texas has sorghum and cotton. Ames, Iowa has several vegetables, corn, and soybean. Corvallis, Oregon has several fruits and berries. Pullman, Washington has alfalfa and grasses of all kinds. Geneva, New York has apples, broccoli, Brussels-sprouts, grapes and lots more. Miami, Florida has coffee, cocoa, avocados, and sugarcane. Mayaguez, Puerto Rico has cashews, cassava, yams, bananas, bamboo, and a plethora of tropical plants. Riverside, California has grapefruit, lemons, and oranges. Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin has potatoes.
The U.S. Potato Gene Bank at the Peninsular Agriculture Research Station in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin maintains the world’s largest collection of potato seeds and cultivars representing more than 5000 potato varieties and species. There is an 80% chance that the potato that you may have consumed recently contained germplasm from this Door County gene bank. I first learned of this facility during the final semester of my senior year at UW-Madison. The plant disease resistance class was the most interesting class that semester. It was a graduate level course that was taught by a couple professors and one of the professors was Dr. David Spooner who had spent most of his career traveling across Central and South America collecting potato germplasm for the gene bank in Sturgeon Bay. He would collect domesticated and wild species of potato in countries such as Peru, Bolivia, Mexico, Ecuador, Chile, Argentina, Honduras, Panama, and in the southwest US. These species of potato would eventually find their way up to Sturgeon Bay. He was very passionate about improving disease and insect resistance in potato along with improving the nutritional qualities of the 4th most important crop in the world behind wheat, rice, and corn. Over his career, he whittled down the accepted number of potato species from 235 down to 111. He was also instrumental in setting up a partnership between the U.S. Potato Gene Bank and the International Potato Center in Lima, Peru.
The Sturgeon Bay gene bank was founded in 1948 by Wisconsin potato growers from the Central Sands region who saw the value in a centralized location to store seeds and house research to develop better potato stock. The USDA chose Wisconsin not only because it was a major potato growing state, but also because the farmers, potato breeders, and researchers in the state were the most vocal about establishing such a gene bank in the nation. Sturgeon Bay was chosen at the time not only because of its ideal climate for breeding potatoes, but also because it was far enough away from the major potato growing regions of Wisconsin to reduce the risk of disease and insect infestations occurring at this facility. As time would go on, most of the breeding and evaluations would occur in laboratories and greenhouses at this site and at UW-Madison. Every year researchers continue to scour the sites where wild potatoes occur in the Western Hemisphere to add to the collection. However, there are now some countries that do not allow the collecting of wild potatoes for this gene bank. The genetic material that is found at this location, mostly in the form of seeds, is sent all over the world to potato breeders and researchers worldwide free of charge. In addition, horticulturists from food companies such as Frito-Lay work with the germplasm from this location as well.
The gene bank should be thought of as a tool store rather than as a museum or an art gallery. As a tool store, the gene bank must acquire the broadest range of tools (germplasm) for its customers. These tools must be classified so customers can easily find what they need. The store must keep a sufficient inventory of stock on hand and in good working order (preserve enough germplasm free from disease with good germination). The store must be able to give good firsthand advice on how to use the tools and even develop manuals about their uses. Finally, the store needs to be able to efficiently advertise what is available and deliver it to the customer. (i.e. distribute info, technology, and germplasm).
This facility is not only very important to this country but also worldwide. Potatoes are the most valuable vegetable in the United States and is a 4-billion-dollar crop. Worldwide its value is in the tens of billions of dollars. This crop is not only valuable because of the value it brings to the economy, but also because it is a crop that can grow just about anywhere and produces the most caloric energy per acre than any crop in the world. (In fact, researchers in Peru were able to successfully grow potatoes in soil that mimics the harsh, arid soil of Mars!) It will likely be from the Sturgeon Bay facility that new varieties of potatoes will be developed that will keep ahead of the ever-changing fungal pathogen, Phytophthora infestans, which causes late blight- the potato disease that led to the Irish Potato Famine during the mid to late 1840’s. It was this facility that averted a potential potato crisis 23 years ago in 2002 when a unique race of Phytophthora infestanswas threatening the nation’s potato crop. This race was resistant to several fungicides labeled for potatoes. It was found that a wild potato variant from Mexico possessed resistance to this race. This Mexican germplasm was bred into the nation’s potato crop. It will likely be this facility that makes contributions in finding potatoes that are more adaptable to ever changing and challenging growing conditions, improved nutritional qualities for human consumption, and antioxidant compounds for fighting cancers.
Today, the fourth most important food in the world is grown on all the continents except for Antarctica. In the United States, the top five states for potato production are Idaho, Washington, Wisconsin, North Dakota, and Oregon. The top five countries in potato production are China, India, Russia, Ukraine, and the United States. Chances are the next time that you have fries at a fast-food restaurant, have a bag of potato chips, or mashed potatoes at home, you can assume the U.S. Potato Gene Bank at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin had a hand in making your meal possible!
Written By Kein Mueller, Senior Agronomist, WI CCA of the Year
The National Plant Germplasm System is composed of gene banks and support units from 20 locations across the US. Each gene bank is responsible for a unique set of crops that it maintains and propagates. The gene banks also distribute germplasm to researchers and breeders around the world for the improvement of crops. The following are just a few of the locations that have gene banks. Aberdeen, South Dakota has germplasm for small grains. College Station, Texas has sorghum and cotton. Ames, Iowa has several vegetables, corn, and soybean. Corvallis, Oregon has several fruits and berries. Pullman, Washington has alfalfa and grasses of all kinds. Geneva, New York has apples, broccoli, Brussels-sprouts, grapes and lots more. Miami, Florida has coffee, cocoa, avocados, and sugarcane. Mayaguez, Puerto Rico has cashews, cassava, yams, bananas, bamboo, and a plethora of tropical plants. Riverside, California has grapefruit, lemons, and oranges. Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin has potatoes.
The U.S. Potato Gene Bank at the Peninsular Agriculture Research Station in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin maintains the world’s largest collection of potato seeds and cultivars representing more than 5000 potato varieties and species. There is an 80% chance that the potato that you may have consumed recently contained germplasm from this Door County gene bank. I first learned of this facility during the final semester of my senior year at UW-Madison. The plant disease resistance class was the most interesting class that semester. It was a graduate level course that was taught by a couple professors and one of the professors was Dr. David Spooner who had spent most of his career traveling across Central and South America collecting potato germplasm for the gene bank in Sturgeon Bay. He would collect domesticated and wild species of potato in countries such as Peru, Bolivia, Mexico, Ecuador, Chile, Argentina, Honduras, Panama, and in the southwest US. These species of potato would eventually find their way up to Sturgeon Bay. He was very passionate about improving disease and insect resistance in potato along with improving the nutritional qualities of the 4th most important crop in the world behind wheat, rice, and corn. Over his career, he whittled down the accepted number of potato species from 235 down to 111. He was also instrumental in setting up a partnership between the U.S. Potato Gene Bank and the International Potato Center in Lima, Peru.
The Sturgeon Bay gene bank was founded in 1948 by Wisconsin potato growers from the Central Sands region who saw the value in a centralized location to store seeds and house research to develop better potato stock. The USDA chose Wisconsin not only because it was a major potato growing state, but also because the farmers, potato breeders, and researchers in the state were the most vocal about establishing such a gene bank in the nation. Sturgeon Bay was chosen at the time not only because of its ideal climate for breeding potatoes, but also because it was far enough away from the major potato growing regions of Wisconsin to reduce the risk of disease and insect infestations occurring at this facility. As time would go on, most of the breeding and evaluations would occur in laboratories and greenhouses at this site and at UW-Madison. Every year researchers continue to scour the sites where wild potatoes occur in the Western Hemisphere to add to the collection. However, there are now some countries that do not allow the collecting of wild potatoes for this gene bank. The genetic material that is found at this location, mostly in the form of seeds, is sent all over the world to potato breeders and researchers worldwide free of charge. In addition, horticulturists from food companies such as Frito-Lay work with the germplasm from this location as well.
The gene bank should be thought of as a tool store rather than as a museum or an art gallery. As a tool store, the gene bank must acquire the broadest range of tools (germplasm) for its customers. These tools must be classified so customers can easily find what they need. The store must keep a sufficient inventory of stock on hand and in good working order (preserve enough germplasm free from disease with good germination). The store must be able to give good firsthand advice on how to use the tools and even develop manuals about their uses. Finally, the store needs to be able to efficiently advertise what is available and deliver it to the customer. (i.e. distribute info, technology, and germplasm).
This facility is not only very important to this country but also worldwide. Potatoes are the most valuable vegetable in the United States and is a 4-billion-dollar crop. Worldwide its value is in the tens of billions of dollars. This crop is not only valuable because of the value it brings to the economy, but also because it is a crop that can grow just about anywhere and produces the most caloric energy per acre than any crop in the world. (In fact, researchers in Peru were able to successfully grow potatoes in soil that mimics the harsh, arid soil of Mars!) It will likely be from the Sturgeon Bay facility that new varieties of potatoes will be developed that will keep ahead of the ever-changing fungal pathogen, Phytophthora infestans, which causes late blight- the potato disease that led to the Irish Potato Famine during the mid to late 1840’s. It was this facility that averted a potential potato crisis 23 years ago in 2002 when a unique race of Phytophthora infestanswas threatening the nation’s potato crop. This race was resistant to several fungicides labeled for potatoes. It was found that a wild potato variant from Mexico possessed resistance to this race. This Mexican germplasm was bred into the nation’s potato crop. It will likely be this facility that makes contributions in finding potatoes that are more adaptable to ever changing and challenging growing conditions, improved nutritional qualities for human consumption, and antioxidant compounds for fighting cancers.
Today, the fourth most important food in the world is grown on all the continents except for Antarctica. In the United States, the top five states for potato production are Idaho, Washington, Wisconsin, North Dakota, and Oregon. The top five countries in potato production are China, India, Russia, Ukraine, and the United States. Chances are the next time that you have fries at a fast-food restaurant, have a bag of potato chips, or mashed potatoes at home, you can assume the U.S. Potato Gene Bank at Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin had a hand in making your meal possible!
Written By Kein Mueller, Senior Agronomist, WI CCA of the Year