Dr.
Creighton Miller, plant breeder and professor in the
horticultural sciences department at
Texas A&M University, recently
was recognized as an Honorary Life Member of the Potato
Association of America – the highest honor bestowed by that
organization.
The ceremony took place at the
association's 87th annual meeting in Spokane, Wash., attended by
participants from 14 countries. The association promotes and
disseminates scientific information on all phases of the potato
industry through annual meetings and publication of the American
Journal of Potato Research.
Miller was recognized for his research
contributions to the U.S. potato industry and the association
for which he has served in many leadership capacities including
president. During his career, he has developed or co-developed
11 new potato varieties, several of which are grown in Texas and
throughout the western United States.
Yields of the 2002 Texas summer potato
crop averaged 400 hundredweight per acre, the highest summer
crop yield in the nation. This compares to less than 200
hundredweight per acre in the mid-1970's when Miller initiated
the Texas Potato Variety Development Program at the Texas A&M
University Agricultural Research and Extension Center at
Lubbock.
