The Seed Department maintains a clone bank and produces high quality tissue culture plantlets and certified minitubers for the certified seed potato industry. The sterile tissue culture laboratory, greenhouse and material handling complex located in Fargo operate under strict quarantine standards to produce the highest quality prenuclear seed products available to the industry.
Tissue culture clones originate from sources such as:
- North Dakota State University breeding program
- Colorado State University
- Colorado Potato Certification Service
- Cornell University - Uihlein Farm
- University of Idaho
- Maine Seed Potato Board - Porter Seed Farm
- Montana State University
- University of Wisconsin, Madison
All clones are tested for viruses and bacteria and propagated in sterile media. Plantlets are grown in the greenhouse in two crop cycles and inspected twice each cycle. Inspections include visual screenings and ELISA virus testing of leaf tissue. Within 70 days, the plantlets produce nuclear seed called minitubers. Following harvest, the minitubers are sized, bagged, labeled and stored until they are shipped to customers.
The Seed Department is the official repository for disease-free potato plantlets maintained by tissue culture. These are derived from newly released varieties and strain selections of established varieties. Tubers from these varieties are sprouted, then nodes from these sprouts are aseptically transferred to media in tissue culture. The resulting plantlets are tested for viruses and bacteria. If determined positive for disease, meristematic tissue from the plantlet is treated with chemotherapy and heat regimens which can generate disease-free plantlets. Infected plantlets are discarded. Disease-free plantlets are then increased through micro-propagation for eventual greenhouse transplanting.
Disease Testing
Mother plantlets are cut into sections for disease testing & further multiplication. The mother plantlets are tested for the following:
- Potato Virus Y (PVY), X, S, A, M, Potato Latent Virus (PotLV), Tomato Spotted Wilt (TSWV), Mop Top, GMO & Potato Leaf Roll Virus (PLRV) by ELISA test
- Potato Spindle Tuber Viroid (PSTV) by Dot blot hybridization
- Bacterial Ring Rot (BRR) and Dickeya species by PCR
- Pectobacterium species by ELISA test
Greenhouse Production
Two crops of minitubers are produced in the greenhouse each year. Greenhouse production is based on orders received from growers each fall. Tissue culture production begins approximately four months prior to greenhouse planting dates to generate enough plantlets to meet orders. Plantlets are transplanted into greenhouse beds to produce minitubers. Each crop is constantly monitored for moisture and fertilizer needs, and for insect or disease presence. One percent of the plant population is serologically tested for virus incidence. Vines are desiccated when minitubers reach a proper size. After skin set, minitubers are harvested and stored at 36 – 38F with 95% relative humidity.
The department maintains 131 entries in the clone bank, which includes 67 varieties and 80 selections. Plantlets and microtubers are used for in vitro storage. Varieties banked are as follows:
| All Blue | Dakota Ruby | ND 5002-1R | Red Pontiac |
| Alpine | Dakota Russet | ND 5775-3 | Red Ruby |
| Alturas | Dakota Trailblazer | ND 6002-1R | Redsen |
| Atlantic | Dark Red Norland | ND 7132-1R | Russet Burbank |
| Bannock | Gem Russet | ND7799C-1 | Russet Norkotah |
| Blazer | Goldrush | ND 7818-1Y | Russet Norkotah 8 |
| Cal Red | IDA Rose | Norqueen | Sangre |
| Cal White | Itasca DC | NorValley | Shepody |
| Cascade | Ivory Crisp | Pike | Silverton Russet |
| Chieftain | Kennebec | Premier | Snowden |
| Clearwater | LaChipper | Purple Viking | Teton Russet |
| Colorado Rose | Lamoka | Ranger Russet | Umatilla Russet |
| Dakota Crisp | LaRouge | Red Cloud | Viking |
| Dakota Diamond | Manistee | Red Endeavor | Waneta |
| Dakota Jewel | Modoc | Red LaSoda | Yokon Gem |
| Dakota Pearl | Monona | Red LaSoda NY | Yukon Gold |
| Dakota Rose | ND 4659-5R | Red Norland |
To Place an Order:
- Call Brianna Tufte at 701-231-5400 or;
- Go to the Forms section and print the order form and submit by one of the following methods
- Email orders to Brianna Tufte at btufte@ndseed.ndsu.edu
- Fax orders to (701) 231-5401
- Mail orders to ND State Seed Department, PO Box 5257, Fargo ND 58105-5257
Fees