Editing Potato (section)

=== Seed potatoes ===

Potatoes are generally grown from "seed potatoes", tubers specifically grown to be free from disease{{clarify|date=June 2024}} and to provide consistent and healthy plants. To be disease free, the areas where seed potatoes are grown are selected with care. In the US, this restricts production of seed potatoes to only 15 states out of all 50 states where potatoes are grown. These locations are selected for their cold, hard winters that kill pests and summers with long sunshine hours for optimum growth.<ref name="US Potato Board - Seed Potatoes">{{cite web |author=United States Potato Board |title=Seed Potatoes |url=http://www.potatoesusa.com/potato-products/seed-potatoes |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150825053643/http://www.potatoesusa.com/potato-products/seed-potatoes |archive-date=25 August 2015 |access-date=6 October 2014}}</ref> In the UK, most seed potatoes originate in [[Scotland]], in areas where westerly winds reduce [[aphid]] attacks and the spread of [[Potato virus Y |potato virus]] pathogens.<ref>{{cite web |title=Seed & Ware Potatoes – Nuclear Stock |url=https://www.sasa.gov.uk/seed-ware-potatoes/nuclear-stock |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150910164423/http://www.sasa.gov.uk/seed-ware-potatoes/nuclear-stock |archive-date=10 September 2015 |access-date=12 June 2024 |website=[[SASA (Scottish Government)|SASA]]}}</ref>