A new late-ripening potato cultivar developed by a Canadian breeder promises to outperform all existing commercial cultivars in terms of tolerance when grown in marginal soil, reports portal farmtario.com.
“Peter Vander Zaag, President of the Sunrise Potato Systems Institute and plant breeder, has high hopes for his new cultivar SP327, which is being commercially tested in the Canadian provinces of Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec (including organic plots) as well as in China.
Bringing a variety to commercial viability is a slow process involving a certain set of costs.
This year, Vander Zaag planted SP327 on his poorest land without irrigation. The scientist hopes that the yield of the heat stress-adapted variety will be as good or even better than the others.
The variety belongs to late-ripening, it is harvested last, so it is more likely to grow. If it rains in August and September, the chances of getting a harvest are high.
Of the four SPs being tested in China, SP327 is the best, and results in Canada also look good.
The researcher added that commercial-level trials collect data on field and agronomic performance, storage, and consumer response. He expects the new potato variety to outperform existing ones in terms of sustainability, water savings, high specific gravity and dry matter. The next two or three growing seasons will show how much reality matches expectations.