Potato Varities
Potato variety descriptions are taken from various sources, including the Potato Association of America website, news releases, and peer-reviewed publications describing these varieties.
Red Round Potatoes
Norland
Released in 1957. This early-maturing variety has tubers with red skin and white flesh and rarely produces off-type tubers. Norland is tolerant of common scab, but susceptible to powdery scab, common potato viruses, early blight, and late blight. It shows strong mosaic symptoms when infected with PVY. Dark Red Norland is a selection of Norland.
Red La Soda
Released in 1953. Primarily grown in southeastern United States as a winter market variety. This variety produces tubers with red skin and white flesh. Tubers have deep eyes and off-shape tubers are common. Red La Soda is susceptible to common potato viruses, early blight, and late blight corky ring spot, and bacterial wilt. Mild foliar symptoms occur when infected with PVY.
Villetta Rose
(W2275-3R)
Released by UW-Madison and protected under PVP. This variety has medium-late maturity and is particularly well-suited for canning. It has high tuber set, a uniform, round tuber shape, smooth, shallow eyes, uniform tuber size, good skin set, dark-red color at harvest, and white flesh. Brown netting on tubers occurs under some growing conditions. The tubers are somewhat smaller than comparable varieties and the yield is in the medium range. Resistant to PVY.
Russets
Freedom Russet (W1836-3rus)
Released by UW-Madison and protected under PVP. This variety produces blocky shaped tubers with a medium dark netting similar to Goldrush. Tuber eye depth can be slightly greater than Goldrush in some environments. It is a medium-late variety. This variety is resistant to common scab.
Goldrush
Released in 1992. Goldrush was released by North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station and is protected by a patent. This is a medium maturing fresh-market variety. The plants produce oblong-blocky to long tubers very shallow eyes and with white flesh. This variety has good resistance to scab, and moderate resistance to blackspot, Verticillium wild, and silver scurf. It is susceptible to common potato viruses and to early blight, late blight, soft rot and Fusarium dry rot. PVY causes striking symptoms in this variety, including bright yellow mosiac and leaf drop symptoms.
Millennium Russet (W1348rus)
Released by UW-Madison and protected under PVP. This variety has uniform tuber shape, high dry matter and lower sugar accumulation. It has a high tuber set and late bulking, thus the majority of the tubers are in the 4-6 oz. range.
Russet Burbank
Released in 1914. The variety is the standard for baking and processing quality. It is a late maturing variety that is primarly grown in the northwestern states and in Canada. Russet Burbank tubers are large, long and cylindrical in shape, with shallow eyes and white flesh. Knobby or mishapen tubers are produced if soil moisture and nitrogen fertility are not optimal and sugar end developes when plants are under stress. The cultivar is tolerant to common scab but is susceptible to Fusarium and Verticillium wilts and common potato viruses. Russet Burbank produces moderate foliar symptoms when infected with PVY.
Russet Norkotah
Released in 1987. This is an early to medium maturity cultivar grown primarily for the fresh market. It produces attractive long to oblong tubers with shallow eyes and white flesh. Russet Norkotah is susceptible to most viruses and late blight and very susceptible to Verticillium wilt and early blight. It has some tolerance to common scab and silver scurf. Foliar symptoms of PVY are mild and this variety is very susceptible to PVY infection. Multiple Russet Norkotah selections have been released.
White Round Potatoes
Atlantic
Released in 1978. Atlantic is a mid-season cultivar widely grown for chipping. It produces round tubers with a netted skin and shallow eyes. Atlantic has high yield potential, uniform size and shape, and high specific gravity, so is the standard variety for chipping from the field or from very short-term storage. It is tolerant to scab and Verticillium wilt; resistant to pinkeye; and highly resistant to Race A of golden nematode, virus X and tuber net necrosis. Atlantic is susceptible to internal heat necrosis and to hollow heart in the large tubers.
MegaChip (W1201)
Released by UW-Madison and protected under PVP. MegaChip is best used as an Atlantic replacement off the field or from early storage. It produces medium to large sized tubers with high specific gravity. This variety is tolerant to common scab.
Pike
Released in 1996. Pike produces medium size tubers with buff colored lightly netted skin. Pike has good chip processing characteristics and excellent common scab resistance. It is not well suited for tablestock due to a tendency toward after-cooking darkening and sloughing.
Snowden
Released in 1990. Snowden produces round tubers with slightly netted skin and medium depth eyes. It has a high specific gravity, and above average yields. Chip quality is very good and it will produce an acceptable chip color from storage temperatures above 45. Storage quality is good. Scab susceptibility is similar to Atlantic.
Superior
Released in 1962. Superior produces tubers that are round to oblong, with buff skin, and medium deep eyes. Superior is the primary early fresh market variety in those areas shipping directly to market from the field. Yield potential is moderately high with minimum skinning due to harvesting and grading. This variety is resistant to net necrosis and common scab and relatively resistant to internal heat necrosis. It is susceptible to blackleg, fusarium, leaf roll, PVY, PVX, and highly susceptible to Verticillium wilt. Tubers are susceptible to pressure bruise in long-term storage, particularly in bulk piles.
Yellow-flesh Potatoes
Yukon Gold
Released in 1981. This is a medium-early variety with moderate yields, moderate specific gravity and relatively attractive tuber type. The tubers are slightly oval, may be somewhat flattened with yellow-white skin, light yellow tuber flesh, and shallow, pink eyes. Yukon Gold is moderately resistant to common potato viruses. It is susceptible to common scab and soft rot, and hollow heart and internal heat necrosis may be a problem.
