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    CSU Potato Program Website!
    • Contact Us:
    • San Luis Valley Research Center: 719-754-3594
    • Potato Certification Service: 719-754-3496
Welcome to the Potato Certification Service Program

Potato Certification Service

Welcome to the Potato Certification Service Program

Potato Certification Service Home

Seed Potato Certification in Colorado



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Colorado Potato Certification Service (CPCS), part of Colorado State University Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture is the designated authority for seed potato certification in Colorado, as authorized by the Colorado Department of Agriculture. Rules and Regulations for seed potato certification are reviewed annually, with appropriate updates and edits as supported by scientific basis. CPCS works with Colorado State University Legal Services and an Industry Advisory Council to edit and adjust rules and regulations.

Certification is a voluntary agreement between the grower and Colorado Potato Certification Service for the purpose of producing and distributing top quality seed potatoes. Certification of a seed potato lot is complete only when all requirements have been fulfilled in field, storage, post harvest, and grade inspections, as determined by the rules and regulations.

Colorado Potato Certification Service also works with the CSU potato tissue culture laboratory, managed by Carolyn Keller. The Tissue Culture lab provides disease free plantlets to Colorado grower owned and operated tissue culture increase and greenhouse production facilities. This generates large quantities of nuclear disease free greenhouse grown mini-tubers for field planting each year. This is the basis of the limited generation system for year by year increase of seed potatoes in Colorado. The Tissue Culture lab also initiates new promising potato cultivars selected by the breeding program. This provides a clean source of new experimental cultivars for seed increase and additional research. When research data has been collected and reported, new cultivars are made available to growers for incorporation into their farming operation.

The Certification disease testing laboratory is instrumental in providing serological testing of seed lots as required in the rules and regulations. This also is a USDA-APHIS approved potato testing facility, with the authority to screen seed lots destined for international trade for various pathogens. We also work closely with the CDA Inspection Service to assist in potato disease diagnosis for local and out of Valley seed shipments.

Our field inspection staff has nearly 100 total combined summers of inspection experience. They are well trained and understand the complete process of seed potato certification. Our training continues with every opportunity as new challenges and questions arise about new pathogens and disease expression.

Colorado Potato Certification Service supports all potato program research performed through the CSU San Luis Valley Research Center. The final goal is to provide the Colorado potato industry with competitive cultivars, and provide a seed potato certification scheme to insure the quality of current and future generations of seed potatoes.

THE RULES AND REGULATIONS FOR COLORADO CERTIFIED SEED POTATOES, AS INCORPORATED HEREIN, HAVE BEEN PROMULGATED BY THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF THE CSU SYSTEM PURSUANT TO LEGISLATION ENACTED BY THE COLORADO GENERAL ASSEMBLY, AS INCORPORATED IN SESSION LAWS, 1929, CHAPTER 59, PAGE 188, AND SESSION LAWS, 1933, CHAPTER 25, PAGE 173. SINCE THE USE, CROP, YIELDS, OR QUALITY OF CERTIFIED SEED POTATOES IS BEYOND THE CONTROL OF THE PRODUCER, THE SELLER, THE INSPECTOR, THE COLORADO POTATO GROWERS’ ASSN., INC. OR THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF THE CSU SYSTEM, NO WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING MERCHANTABILITY, WHICH EXTENDS BEYOND THE DESCRIPTION ON TAG OR BULK CERTIFICATE IS MADE CONCERNING THE PERFORMANCE OR QUALITY OF THESE SEED POTATOES. BY ACCEPTANCE OF THESE SEED POTATOES, BUYER EXPRESSLY AGREES THAT ITS EXCLUSIVE REMEDY FOR BREACH OF ANY WARRANTY SHALL BE LIMITED IN ALL EVENTS TO A RETURN OF THE PURCHASE PRICE OF THE SEED.

  • Contact Us

    San Luis Valley Research Center
    0249 E RD. 9 N
    Center, Colorado 81125

    SLVRC : (719) 754-3594
    Potato Cert. Svc. : (719) 754-3496
    FAX : (719) 754-2619

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