Potato Science
PLSC 490/590
Spring Semester 2014
9:30 to 10:45 am (Pacific), Tuesday and Thursday
10:30 to 11:45 am (Mountain)
Available at Moscow, Aberdeen, Parma, and Twin Falls via video conference
INSTRUCTORS:
Dr. Jeff Stark
Phone: 208-529-8376
jstark@uidaho.edu
(On campus)
Dr. Alex Karasev
Phone: 208.885.2350
akarasev@uidaho.edu
Objective: Provide graduate and upper division undergraduate students with knowledge
of the potato crop, including history, use, taxonomy, physiology, breeding, and
management.
Course description: The course will consist of 31, 75 minute periods. There will be 25
lectures, 3 exams, and 3 class periods for oral reports on term papers. Exams will include
T/F, multiple choice and short essay questions that require comprehensive answers.
Exams will be based on lectures, text book information and additional reading materials.
Exam 1 will cover material presented in lectures 1-10, and exam 2 will cover material
presented in lectures 11-19. One-half of Exam 3 (final exam) will cover lectures 20-25,
and the other half will cover material presented in lectures 1-19. Should you miss a class
period, you are responsible for obtaining the information missed.
Completion of the course requires submission of a term paper and oral presentation to the
class on the term paper topic. Completion of the graduate level course requires working
with a team of other graduate students to develop a comprehensive extension
management guide on one aspect of potato production.
Text Book:
Potato Production Systems (PPS) by J.C. Stark and S.L. Love. Published in 2003
by University of Idaho Agricultural Communications. ISBN# 1-58803-001-6.
The textbook can be ordered through the University of Idaho Book store via
internet at www.uidahobookstore.com.
The textbook is also available from CALS Educational Communications at
www.cals.uidaho.edu/edComm/pps/order.html.
Other reading will be required from books and bulletins. This information will be
scanned by the instructor, and posted on the course website.
Lecture Topics and Projected Timeline:
Jan 16
Course Introduction – Discussion of study materials, course requirements,
learning goals, and grading system.
Lecture 1 - Potato history, use patterns, and taxonomy. (Jeff Stark, Mark Pavek)
Reading – PPS Chapter 1
Jan 21
Lecture 2 - Potato crop development, growth, tuber initiation, yield components.
(Mike Thornton) PPS Chapter 2
Jan 23
Lecture 3 - Field preparation, crop rotations, and green manures. (Jeff Stark)
PPS Chapter 5
Jan 28
Lecture 4 - TBA
Jan 30
Lecture 5 – Seed preparation and planting, seed age, seed size, plant population,
planting depth. (Bill Bohl) PPS Chapter 7
Feb 4
Lecture 6 – Potato seed production principles, tissue-culture based propagation,
(Phil Nolte) PPS Chapter 4
Feb 6
Lecture 7 - Potato diseases – foliar, soilborne, viruses, and tuber rots. (Phil Nolte
and Alex Karasev) PPS Chapter 10
Feb 11
Lecture 8 - Disease management, seed role, crop rotation, scouting, forecasting
and fungicides. (Phill Wharton, Phil Nolte and Jeff Miller) PPS Chapter 10
Feb 13
Lecture 9 - Seed certification principles, agencies, and regulations.
(Phil Nolte) PPS Chapter 4
Feb 18
Lecture 10 - Weed control, common weed problems, cultural control, and
herbicides. (Pam Hutchinson) PPS Chapter 13
Feb 20 EXAM 1
Feb 25
Lecture 11 - Insect management, scouting and identification, control methods.
(Erik Wenninger) PPS Chapter 12
Feb 27
Lecture 12-Fertility management, application methods, soil and petiole testing
(Jeff Stark) PPS Chapter 8
Mar 4
Lecture 13 - Nematode management, sampling, identification, and control. (Saad
Hafez) PPS Chapter 11
Mar 6
Lecture 14 - Irrigation management, importance, irrigation systems, scheduling,
monitoring systems. (Jeff Stark) PPS Chapter 14
Mar 11
Lecture 15 - Managing stress, common stress-related problems, avoidance
concepts, minimizing damage. (Mike Thornton) PPS Chapter 15, PHM Chapter
23
Mar 13
Lecture 16 – Organic/sustainable production practices (Moore, Olsen)
Mar 17 – 21 SPRING BREAK
Mar 25
Lecture 17 - Potato breeding, genetic constraints, methods, disease and pest
resistance (Rich Novy).
Mar 27
Lecture 18 - Genetic engineering, theory and methods, consumer acceptance. (Joe
Kuhl)
Apr 1
Lecture 19 - Potato variety selection and management. (Jeff Stark) PPS Chapter 3
Apr 3 - EXAM 2
Topic due for term paper
Topic due for graduate student project
Apr 8
Lecture 20 - Economics of production and marketing, cost of production.
(Patterson) Reading PPS Chapters 19 & 20
Term paper outline due
Apr 10
Lecture 21 - Harvest operations, crop preparation, bruise and bruise prevention.
(Mike Thornton) PPS Chapter 18
Apr 15
Lecture 22 - Potato storage design, environmental requirements, construction
principles, control systems. (Nora Olsen) PPS Chapter 18
Apr 17
Lecture 23 - Potato storage physiology, quality maintenance, and diseases. (Rick
Knowles) PPS Chapter 16
Apr 22
Lecture 24 - Tuber grade standards and processing contracts (Mike Thornton)
Apr 24
Lecture 25 - Course Review (Jeff Stark)
Apr 29 EXAM 3 – FINAL EXAM
Term paper due
Graduate project due
May 1
TERM PAPER REPORTS
May 6
TERM PAPER REPORTS
May 8
TERM PAPER REPORTS
TERM PROJECT
Each student will select an important management topic relevant to potatoes that they are
interested in and prepare a brief paper. The paper should be well organized and provide
both a perspective on the current state of knowledge for the particular problem/topic
selected as well as options for improvement using the following outline: .
Select an important potato management topic and describe the following:
 Importance to the potato industry
 Current management approaches – primary methods used
 Alternative management strategies/technologies for improved potato production
 Propose research needed to document effects of improved management
strategy/technology
 Propose a plan for getting the new management strategy/technology adopted
The paper should be 5 to 7 typed pages in length and have a minimum of 5 journal
citations. The grade will be based on relevance, coverage of the topic, and organization
of the paper and presentation. Errors in grammar, punctuation and spelling may result in
a lower grade
Oral presentations will be given by each student during the last three class sessions.
These presentations should be approximately 10 to 15 minutes in length, and should
provide a concise summary of their term project using the outline above.
GRADING
The total number of points possible for the semester is 500 as follows:
Exam 1 – 100 points
Exam 2 – 100 points
Final Exam – 200 points
Term project – 100 points
A
B
C
D
F
450-500
400-449
350-399
300-349
<300
Graduate students will be graded on the group term project, which will be based 50% on
the overall quality of the project and 50% on the contributions of each team member. The
project will involve selecting an important potato management topic as described above
and writing an 8-12 page extension bulletin addressing that topic.