Each spring, thousands of plantlets from the Tissue Culture Laboratory are brought to the State Farm located in an isolated area near Rhinelander. The tissue culture plantlets are grown for one year in pots in one of four 5760 sq. ft. screenhouses where they are maintained pathogen-free. They are then stored in a modern temperature and humidity controlled facility prior to field increase for a second (elite foundation 1) and third (elite foundation 2) year. During this increase, they are maintatined as varietally pure pathogen- free lines by visual inspection and laboratory disease screening during the summer as well as during an annual winter test of subsamples in Florida. At the end of the third year, they are sold to certified seed growers in Wisconsin.

Objectives

To provide the highest quality elite foundation seed potatoes to the certified seed growers of Wisconsin.