Vegetable Lab History
Celebrating over 90 years of scientific excellence
On May 15, 1862, President Lincoln established the Department
of Agriculture. The purpose of the department was to acquire and diffuse
among the people of the United States useful information on subjects connected
with agriculture in the most general and comprehensive sense of that word,
and to procure, propagate, and distribute among the people new and valuable
seeds and plants. (Above image: Plant Industry
Station, c. 1960; photo by Ernest G. Moore from The Agriculture Research
Service.) In the late 19th century, research that is currently being carried out by the Vegetable Lab was performed by the Division of Vegetable Pathology. Scientific investigation was greatly increased when James Wilson became secretary in 1897 and the Bureau of Plant Industry was formed in 1901. Under the Bureau of Plant Industry, much of the work on vegetables was done by the Vegetable Crops and Diseases Lab and the Potato Investigations Lab.
In 1939, plant research was moved from the USDA farms in
Arlington, Virginia to the new research area in Beltsville, Maryland.
(Image at right: Aerial view of BARC, c. 1960,
photo by Ernest G. Moore from The Agriculture Research Service.)
When the Agriculture Research Service was formed in 1953, the Potato Investigations lab was part of the Crops Research Division of the ARS. The Potato Investigations lab has since been incorporated into the Vegetable Lab which is now part of the Plant Sciences Institute at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center. In June of 2000, the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center was renamed the Henry A. Wallace Beltsville Agricultural Research Center.
| Henry A Wallace was the Secretary of
Agriculture from 1932-40. Often considered one of the best secretaries
of Agriculture, he established such successful programs as food
stamps and the school lunch program. |
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"Knowledge
grows or dies... Our investment in science would vanish if we did not freshen
it constantly and keep training alert scientific personnel."
-Henry A. Wallace, 1937
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There have been many notable advances in vegetable research from scientists in the lab. No less than six important varieties of potatoes have been released commercially from the lab. Katahdin, the first pest-resistant potato variety, was released in 1936. Other varieties released were Kennebec, Red LaSoda, and Delus. Atlantic was released in 1976 and is still the most popular chipping potato. A new white variety 'Harley Blackwell' was just released this year. Also released this year is the 'Tangerine Dream' pepper. Click here to learn more about potatoes.
Other notable accomplishments include:
- In 1968, Muriel O’Brien and Bill Raymer discovered a new infective agent in potato. In 1971, Ted Deiner identified this agent as a "viroid" and the disease as spindle tuber disease.
- Steve Sinden discovered and characterized several glycoalkaloids of potatoes. These are naturally occurring compounds that influence pest resistance and affect the taste of potatoes.
Follow the links below for more information about the history of BARC, the ARS, and the USDA.
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