Cultivar developments, fertilizer inputs, environmental conditions, and yield determination for potatoes in Manitoba

While potato production on the Canadian Prairies has expanded significantly since the early 1990s and accounted for roughly one third of Canada's production over the period 1990-2006, few studies have looked at Plant Breeder's rights and cultivar releases in Canada, and the determinants of potato yield in Manitoba. This paper examines potato breeding developments in terms of cultivar releases, the extent that new cultivar releases are protected by Plant Breeders' Rights (PBR), and the contribution of cultivar improvements, environmental conditions and fertilizer inputs to potato yield in Manitoba. The results from our study indicate that professional person-years devoted to potato breeding has declined since 1990 and that PBR granted to European and U. S. breeders have exceeded those granted to Canadian domestic breeding institutions. Manitoba processing potato yields have been affected more so by a combination of fertilizer inputs and regional effects than by improved cultivars. In the current study, the limited effect of protected cultivars on yield may be due to the small number of protected cultivars being assessed, and the relatively short time period considered. Lack of adoption of new cultivars in Manitoba may reflect slow adoption of new cultivars by the processing industry as it ensures that quality and processing specifications are met. © Potato Association of America 2009.