variety

Variety Selection

Varieties currently produced in the US & Canada
Variety Identification & Ownership Chart (as PDF file )
Latent Variety List (as PDF) & Symptoms
PVP Status Chart - Sorted by: Variety, Applicant , PVP Number
Oregon State University Potato Variety Development Program
Promising Colored Pre-Releases from the Tri-states (PVMI newsletter 8/07)
Promising Upcomming Releases from the Tri-states (PVMI newsletter sp/08)

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Information Section

Introduction
Common Varieties & Their Uses
New and Pending PNW Releases
Other New Western Varieties
Related Websites

Whoever can make two ears of corn or two blades of grass to grow where only one grew before, would deserve better of mankind and do more essential service to his country than the whole race of politicians combined-- Jonathon Swift (1667-1745)

INTRODUCTION:

Selecting suitable varieties is an essential first step in any successful potato operation. Varieties must not only suit the intended market but also be well adapted to local growing conditions. Hundreds of varieties are potentially available to potato growers but as few as five probably account for 90% of the U.S. acreage. The leading variety, Russet Burbank, still provides about 40% of the U.S. production.

Varieties differ in a number of characteristics including: yield; skin and flesh color; tuber shape and eye depth; time of maturity; disease and pest resistance; carbohydrate composition; usage potential; dormancy and storability; and any number of additional particulars. Processors typically specify varieties in grower contracts, but not always. Fresh market growers, on the other hand, are free to choose.

Potato varieties have traditionally been categorized according to shape and color as Round Whites, Russets, or Reds. Recently, "Specialty" and "Gourmet" have entered the potato vocabulary to describe almost any variety not fitting into the three major divisions. Broadly speaking, round-white varieties are used for chipping and, to a lesser extent, as tablestock in central and eastern states. Reds and specialty gourmet varieties are used exclusively for the fresh market. Russets, which tend to produce oblong tubers, are used for both frozen processing and fresh market.

The carbohydrate (starch and sugar) composition of tubers plays an important role in determining variety usage. Processing varieties, for example, must have relatively high starch and low reducing (glucose/fructose) sugar levels. Starch content is directly related to specific gravity or dry matter in tubers. Typically, 60-80% of the dry matter is present as starch. Therefore, high-gravity or high-solids tubers contain high levels of starch.

Relationship Between Tuber Dry Matter and Optimum Use
Specific Gravity	Dry Matter, %	Texture	Typical Uses
Below 1.060 (very low)	Below 16.2	Very soggy	Pan frying, salads, canning
1.060-1.069 (low)	16.2-18.1	Soggy	Pan frying, salads, boiling, canning
1.070-1.079 (medium)	18.2-20.2	Waxy	Boiling, mashing; fair to good for chip processing and canning
1.080-1.089 (high)	20.3-22.3	Mealy, dry	Baking, chip processing, frozen french fry processing; some cultivars tend to slough when boiled
Above 1.089 (very high)	Above 22.3	Very mealy or dry	Baking, frozen french fry processing, chip processing; tendency to produce brittle chips and to slough when boiled

Adapted from: Mosley, A.R. and R.W. Chase. 1993. Selecting Cultivars and Obtaining Healthy

Seed Lots. In: Potato Health Management, APS Press, 1993. Pp. 19-27.

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        Back to OSPGAStarch has profound effects on product texture and oil consumption during processing. Frying drives much of the water out of chips, for example, and replaces it with oil. Therefore, low dry matter/high water tubers tend to absorb more oil, which is typically the most expensive component of fries, and become more soggy and/or oily.

In contrast to starch, which primarily affects product texture and oil content, reducing sugars (primarily glucose and fructose) play a critical role in the processed color of potato chips and french fries. Even very low levels of sugar cause chips and fries to turn dark brown during frying. For that reason, varieties intended for processing either as chips or fries, especially during the winter and early spring, must have low levels of reducing sugars both in the field and storage. Sugar levels typically make up less than 3% of total tuber dry matter.

COMMON VARIETIES AND THEIR USES:

Frozen Processing
Potato Chips
Fresh Market/Tablestock
Other Varieties -- A comprehensive, alphabetical listing of descriptive links for all the above and many more.

Varieties Commonly Used for Frozen Processing

Bannock Russet-- 1999 PNW all-purpose russet with good processing qualities.

Gem Russet -- Attractive new PNW all-purpose russet. Very smooth tubers with good processing characteristics and excellent fresh market quality.

Russet Burbank--The leading U.S. variety, R. Burbank accounts for almost 40% of the total U.S. acreage. Tubers are long, uniformly russeted and show numerous eyes of medium depth. Russet Burbank produces medium to high total yields but a very low percentage of U.S. No. 1 tubers. It is late maturing, has a long dormancy, and stores extremely well. Starch and sugar contents are medium compared to other processing varieties. Common defects include second growth, growth cracks, internal brown spot, sugar ends, hollow heart, and blackspot bruise. Russet Burbank is widely used for processing both directly from the field and from storage.

Ranger Rus. Cult. Mgt. (Idaho) (see also Ranger Russet (PAA); Ranger Russet (Nebraska)) --Medium-to-high yielding long russet, similar in appearance to Russet Burbank. Tubers slightly flattened, eyes of medium depth, intermediate in number; medium russet skin. Medium to high yields with a high proportion of U.S. No. 1's. High solids, medium sugar content from normal 45^oF storage. Susceptible to off-shapes, growth cracks, blackspot bruise; much more susceptible than Russet Burbank to tuber decay from late blight. Used for both fresh market and processing either directly from the field or from storage.

Russet Legend -- A 1998 PNW release, Legend is an attractive all-purpose russet with excellent frozen processing characteristics and perhaps the best baked flavor currently available. However, growers are encouraged to test carefully for stem-end discoloration in their own fields before investing heavily in Legend.

Shepody --Long, flattened, white-skinned tubers. Eyes shallow, intermediate in number. Medium early in maturity. Medium yields with an average to high percentage of No. 1 tubers. Susceptible to off-shapes, scab, harvest injury. Medium to low solids, high sugar after 45^oF storage. Used almost exclusively for out-of-field processing into frozen french-fried products.

Umatilla Russet --Umatilla Russet produces good yields of smooth, oblong russet tubers which process extremely well because of low sugar and high starch content. It has shown good resistance to late blight tuber decay and net necrosis from potato leafroll virus. Umatilla stores moderately well but has a shorter dormancy than Russet Burbank. Rough handling of immature tubers during harvest can cause notable dry rot infection.

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Common Chipping Varieties

Chipping varieties are almost invariably round whites--at least, among the major suppliers. Some small kettle-chipping operations use Russet Burbank and other russets because of taste and ready availability. Round whites are quite susceptible to common scab, harvest injury, and storage decay compared to russets.

Many potato varieties produce acceptable chip color at harvest, but very few do so from extended storage. As noted above, good chipping varieties tend to have high solids and low sugar content. The varieties listed below are considered to be acceptable for chipping from storage. Click on the links for images and detailed descriptions.

Atlantic-- Tubers round to oval; eyes few and of medium depth; skin scaly, buff-colored, flesh white. Medium to high yields with a high percentage of No. 1's. Short storage dormancy. Susceptible to hollow heart and brown center; internal brown spot, shatter bruise. High solids, low sugar after 50^oF storage. Good chip color from the field and storage.

Chipeta(PAA Desc.); Colorado Prod. Guide -- High yields, large tubers.

Dakota Pearl -- Excellent chip color.

Gemchip -- Good yields.

Ivory Crisp -- To be released by Idaho & cooperators in 2001; formerly NDO1496-1. Good fry color.

Norvalley-- Resistance to cold-sweetening (Chips directly from 7 months storage at 42F); round to oblong white-skinned with yellow undertone, cream-white flesh

Norchip-- Once the leading variety, Norchip is now a minor player in the chipping trade. Round to oblong tubers; eyes intermediate in number, of medium depth; skin smooth, white; flesh white. Medium yields with a high percentage of No. 1's. Short dormancy. Susceptible to growth cracks, irregular shapes, hollow-heart, internal brown spot, deep fold in the bud end. Medium solids, low sugar from 50^oF storage.

Snowden-- Round, white tubers, sometimes small. Medium yields with a high percentage of No. 1's. Excellent chip color from storage.

Willamette -- a round white selection with good chipping potential, and significantly higher yields of US No. 1’s than Atlantic under a wide range of soil and climatic conditions

Fresh Market/Tablestock Varieties for the PNW

Fresh market potato production in the PNW is predominantly based on long russets and reds with a small, but increasing percentage of gourmet types including colored-flesh varieties. Round whites are mostly restricted to chipping in the northwest. Interestingly, most western organic growers tend to avoid russets in favor of colored varieties and even some round whites. Organic acreage is still very small but steadily increasing in the PNW.

Russets
Reds

Specialty & 'Value Added' varieties considered for the organic market ( Jacqueline Lee, Yukon Gold, POR02PG26-6, Klamath Pearl, Russian Banana, Red Gold, AC97521-1R/y, CO97233-3R/Y, POR01PG45-5, POR00PG4-1, POR03PG80-2, CO97226-2R/R, POR01PG22-1, All Red, Red Thumb, ALL Blue, POR01PG16-1, OR00068-11, OR00068-29, Defender, Premier Russet, AO96141-3)

Russets Commonly Grown in the PNW