About
The National Fry Processors Trial (NFPT) program was formed in 2011 to bring together grower organizations and potato processing companies to create enhanced russet varieties that meet the taste expectations of consumers.
The Evolution of NFPT
2011 – 2016 →
During this time, the NFPT program primarily applied equal resources to each participating clone.
- Using this approach, a potato clone entered into the NFPT program was shipped by its respective sponsoring breeder to trial cooperators in six locations around the country: Oregon, Washington, Idaho, North Dakota, Wisconsin, and Maine.
- At each trial location, all participating clones underwent post-harvest testing regardless of how they performed in the field. The clones that exhibited the greatest promise across field and post-harvest testing were selected for processor evaluation in their demonstration processing lines and test kitchens.
2016 – Present →
The program was reformatted to take a tiered approach.
- Under the new format, NFPT clones must satisfy minimum agronomic benchmarks before being selected for post-harvest analysis.
- Clones selected for processor evaluation must exhibit acceptable agronomic and post-harvest characteristics.
- The process is typically limited to three years for a participating clone.
- In Tier One, a clone is evaluated for agronomic traits.
- In Tier Two, a clone undergoes the second year of field testing while also undergoing initial post-harvest analysis.
- In Tier Three, a clone’s third and final year in the program, it undergoes agronomic testing, post-harvest analysis, and evaluation by a processor for viability as a finished product.
- This new format eliminates the more expensive post-harvest testing for clones that do not perform well in the most economic evaluation stage: the field trials.