When it comes to growing excellent seed potatoes, Alberta seed comes in second to none!

The long summer days and cool nights, large land base which permits long rotations between potato crops and separation of seed and commercial production areas, results in high quality seed. Isolation of the farms and cold Alberta winters result in very low levels of disease pressure. These factors combine to produce seed that has increased vigour and performs very well under adverse conditions. As a result, yield and quality is higher which in turn gives growers a better return on their investment.

The majority of seed is grown under dry land conditions in central Alberta where natural rainfall is more plentiful than in the south. A few growers near Edmonton occasionally apply supplemental irrigation from nearby rivers and streams.

Alberta seed producers operate under the Canadian Seeds Act and are inspected and certified by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. The Canadian program relies on a flush through concept with a limited number of field generations and a constant supply of disease free plantlets. Seed drops one generation each year regardless of how excellent the inspection may be. CFIA inspectors complete at least two field inspections on each seed lot during the growing season and monitor crops for disease and varietal mix. Visual inspections are supplemented with laboratory tests to ensure seed is free of disease. There is zero tolerance for Bacterial Ring Rot, Potato Spindle Tuber Viroid and the tobacco veinal necrosis strain of PVY (PVYn). Testing for viral and bacterial disease is done by CFIA accredited labs. Canada's strict national program ensures that only top quality seed potatoes will be marketed.

Alberta is one of the few provinces in Canada to have privatized their high generation lab and greenhouse production. All laboratories operate under the guidelines of the Canadian Seed Act and are CFIA approved and inspected. On-farm laboratories receive potato plantlets from the tissue culture bank operated by Alberta Agriculture Food and Rural Development. The seed potato repository houses more then 100 different potato varieties. The Western Canadian Breeding Program run by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada is an important link to improving the genetics of potato varieties grown in Alberta.

• Russet Burbank
• Russet Norkotah
• Ranger Russet
• Shepody
• Atlantic
• Umatilla Russet
• Norland
• Yukon Gold
• Private Varieties
• Other varieties