ABOUT ELITE SEED POTATOES

At West Edmonton Seed Potatoes we only grow elite seed potatoes from Nuclear mini-tuber stage to Elite-2. In the Canadian potato classification system an "elite seed potato" means a tuber, or nuclear stock, that is certified under regulation for seed-reproduction purposes. The following classes of seed potatoes are established, from the highest quality to the lowest:

(a) Nuclear Stock; is produced from potato tissue culture that has been tested and found free of bacterial ring rot, PSTV and viruses. It is produced in an aseptic or protected environment and is completely free of visible varietal mixtures and pathogenic bacterial viruses.

(b) Pre-Elite; is produced in the field environment from Nuclear Stock seed potatoes. The lot is inspected by an inspector at least two times during the growing season. There is no tolerance for varietal mixture and pathogenic bacterial viruses.

(c) Elite I; is produced in the field environment from Pre-Elite seed potatoes and inspected by an inspector at least two times during the growing season.There is no tolerance for visible varietal mixture or visible symptoms of disease.

(d) Elite II; is produced in the field environment from Elite I and inspected by an inspector at least two times during the growing season. There is minimal tolerance for visible varietal mixture or visible symptoms of disease.

Please see the CFIA home page for further information/classes of the elite seed potato classification system.