Fresh Market Russet Potato Varieties for Commercial Production in Northeast Florida¹

C.M. Hutchinson, J.M. White, D.P. Weingartner²

The production qualities of potato varieties are of interest to growers, state and county faculty, regulatory agency personnel, home gardeners, and others. This information may be used to compare variety performance among farms, to develop production regulations, or to compare standard varieties with new varieties.

Potatoes are produced on approximately 40,000 acres in Florida. The largest concentration of potato acreage (20,000 acres) is in Flagler, Putnam, and St. Johns counties in northeast Florida. The majority of acreage in northeast Florida is planted in chipping potato varieties. However, red and white-skinned fresh market potatoes are also grown. Potato planting begins in this area in late December and continues through early March. Potatoes are harvested from late April through June.

The information presented in this report is averaged from trials over the last four years at the Hastings REC located in St. Johns County. Calculating averages over a multi-year period normalizes data to account for climatic and seed source differences. Potato production characteristics for the same variety vary greatly around the state of Florida. Hence, these values only represent what may be expected in northeast Florida production areas. Yields from experimental plots can be higher than those from commercial fields because of the greater control over production practices. This information should be considered a guideline for production qualities rather than viewed in absolute terms.

At the current time, there is not a standard russet-skinned variety grown in Florida. However, all the varieties and clones listed in this report are currently under advanced variety evaluation. The number of trials in which the variety has been evaluated is listed in parentheses following the variety name. All potato varieties were produced using IFAS recommended production practices (Hochmuth et al., 2001) and rated using the Florida potato variety classification system (Table 1). Season length from planting to harvest was approximately 100 days. Tubers noted as “marketable” were USDA grades A1, A2, and A3.

The attributes of a good fresh market russet-skinned potato variety are disease resistance in the plant, abundant tuber production, low incidence of physiological and disease defects in the tuber, and an oblong tuber shape with a evenly russet skin texture.

Variety Information

AF1753-16 (5). Average total and marketable yield were 455 and 383 cwt/acre, respectively. Potato tuber skin color is tan to buff with a light russet texture. Tuber flesh color is white. Tuber shape is oblong with an eye depth of intermediate to shallow. Overall external tuber appearance has been noted as fair to good. Plant type at full flower is decumbent to spreading with a fair canopy. Hollow heart and corky ringspot viral disease have each been observed in 0.34% of tubers tested. Plant maturity at harvest has been rated as moderately mature. Average specific gravity for AF1753-16 tubers was 1.067.

Amey (4). Average total and marketable yield were 304 and 265 cwt/acre, respectively. Potato tuber skin color is brown with a heavy russet texture. Tuber flesh color is white. Tuber shape is oblong to long with an eye depth of shallow to very shallow. Overall external tuber appearance has been noted as fair to good. Plant type at full flower is spreading with a good canopy. Plant maturity at harvest has been rated as moderately mature to yellow and dying. In four trials, no internal tuber defects have been observed. Average specific gravity for Amey tubers was 1.069.

Russet Norkotah 3 (2). Average total and marketable yield were 388 and 348 cwt/acre, respectively. Potato tuber skin color is brown to dark brown with a moderate to heavy russet texture. Tuber flesh color is white. Tuber shape is oblong to long with an eye depth of intermediate to shallow. Overall external tuber appearance has been noted as fair to good. Plant type at full flower is upright with a good canopy. Plant maturity at harvest has been rated as moderately mature. In two trials, no internal tuber defects have been observed. Average specific gravity for Russet Norkotah tubers was 1.065.

References

Hochmuth, G.J., C. M. Hutchinson, D. N. Maynard, W. M. Stall, T. A. Kucharek , S. E. Webb, T. G. Taylor, S. A. Smith, and E. H. Simonne. 2001. Potato Production in Florida. In: Vegetable Production Guide for Florida. Edited by: D.N. Maynard and S.M. Olson. University of Florida and Vance Publishing.

Tables

Table 1. Florida Potato Variety Classification System

Plant Characteristics
Rating Code	Early Vigor		Plant Size Full Flower		Vine Maturity		Plant Type		Vine Maturity at Harvest Vine Kill
1	No Emergence		Very Small		Very Early		Decumbent – Poor		Dead
2	Leaves in Rosette		--		Early		Decumbent – Fair		--
3	Plants < 2”		Small		--		Decumbent – Good		Yellow and Dying
4	Plants 2” to 4”		--		Medium Early		Spreading – Poor		--
5	Plants 4” to 6”		Medium		Medium		Spreading – Fair		Moderately Mature
6	Plants 6” to 8”		--		Medium Late		Spreading – Good		--
7	Plants 8” to 10”		Large		--		Upright – Poor		Starting to Mature
8	Plants 10” to 12”		--		Late		Upright – Fair		--
9	Plants > 12”		Very Large		Very Late		Upright - Good		Green and Vigorous
Tuber Characteristics
Rating Code	Internal Flesh Color	Skin Color		Skin Texture		Tuber Shape		Eye Depth		Overall Appearance
1	White	Purple		Part. Russet		Round		Very Deep		Very Poor
2	Cream	Red		Heavy Russet		Mostly Round		--		--
3	Light Yellow	Pink		Mod. Russet		Round to Oblong		Deep		Poor
4	Medium Yellow	Dark Brown		Light Russet		Mostly Oblong		--		--
5	Dark Yellow	Brown		Netted		Oblong		Intermediate		Fair
6	Pink	Tan		Slightly Netted		Oblong to Long		--		--
7	Red	Buff		Mod. Smooth		Mostly Long		Shallow		Good
8	Blue	White		Smooth		Long		--		--
9	Purple	Cream		Very Smooth		Cylindrical		Very Shallow		Excellent

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Footnotes

1. This document is HS879, one of a series of the Horticultural Sciences Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Publication date: June, 2002. Please visit the EDIS Web site at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.

2. C.M. Hutchinson, assistant professor, Horticultural Sciences Department; J.M. White, associate professor, Horticultural Sciences Department, MFREC-Apopka; D.P. Weingartner, Plant Pathology Department, associate professor, Hastings-REC, Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611.

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The use of trade names in this publication is solely for the purpose of providing specific information. It is not a guarantee or warranty of the products named, and does not signify that they are approved to the exclusion of others of suitable composition.

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U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Larry Arrington, Dean.