Promising new potato variety to be displayed Sept. 14
By Greg Porter
Agronomist and Potato Breeding Program project leader
PRESQUE ISLE — The Maine Potato Breeding Program will have display plots of promising new varieties available for viewing on Wednesday, Sept. 14 at 11A.M.
The location will be just south of the University of Maine at Presque Isle and across the road from the Presque Isle Inn and Convention Center. To view the plots, please enter carefully through the field road on the west side of U.S. Route 1. This road is just after the speed limit sign as you head south on U.S. Route 1. The rain date will be Thursday, Sept. 15 at 11 a.m. Advanced clones that are in commercial testing or will soon enter commercial testing will be featured. These include:
AF0338-17, a high yielding, round white that does particularly well in Florida, North Carolina, other Southeastern states, and the mid-Atlantic. It is primarily expected to be an out-of-field chipper in these states. It provides high yields and better internal quality than the current standard variety, Atlantic.
AF2291-10, a chipping prospect for northern areas, high specific gravity, possible dual purpose, may be named and released soon.
AF2574-1, a fresh-market white, moderate late blight resistance, good internal quality, and high yields.
AF3001-6, a long-white with netted skin, very good fry color, and high yields.
AF3317-15, a very late maturing long russet with late blight, scab, and pink rot resistance and potential for fresh market and processing.
AF3362-1, a long russet with good yields, mid-season maturity, processing potential, and generally good appearance.
AF4013-3, a mid-season, oblong yellow with pink eyes. It has good yields, good cooking quality, and excellent chip color.
In addition to these seven clones, five new russets/long-whites and three new candidate chipping clones will be featured.
The breeding program’s third-year selections will also be available for viewing. These candidate varieties are further away from commercial testing and represent plant material that may become available for commercial testing in three to four years. Earlier in the morning, breeding program staff and eastern cooperators will be selecting candidate varieties from this third-year material which consists of 89 whites, yellows, and chippers; 39 reds and specialty types; and 86 russets and long whites.
