Highland Russet: A Full Season, Processing Variety with High Yields of Uniform U.S. No. 1 Tubers

• Published in: American journal of potato research 2009-06, Vol.86 (3), p.171-182
• Main Authors: Stark, J.C, Novy, R.G, Whitworth, J.L, Love, S.L, Corsini, D.L, Pavek, J.J, Vales, M.I, James, S.R, Hane, D.C, Charlton, B.A, Brown, C.R, Knowles, N.R, Pavek, M.J, Brandt, T.L, Olsen, N
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agriculture; Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; Biological and medical sciences; Biomedical and Life Sciences; color; crop yield; cultivars; disease resistance; food processing quality; food quality; French fries; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; genetic resistance; germplasm releases; Life Sciences; plant breeding; Plant Breeding/Biotechnology; plant diseases and disorders; Plant Genetics and Genomics; Plant Pathology; Plant Sciences; potatoes; shape; Solanum tuberosum; specific gravity; variety trials
• ISSN: 1099-209X; 1874-9380
• DOI: 10.1007/s12230-009-9069-z

Highland Russet is a late-season potato variety with light russet skin notable for its high yield of uniform U.S. No. 1 tubers, and good processing and culinary qualities. It resulted from a 1990 cross between Ranger Russet and Russet Legend and has been evaluated for over 15 years in public and industry trials throughout the western U.S. Highland Russet was released in 2006 by the USDA-ARS and the Agricultural Experiment Stations of Idaho, Oregon and Washington and is a product of the Northwest Potato Variety (Tri-State) Development Program. It is suitable for processing into French fries and other frozen potato products and due to its large blocky shape, recovers a high proportion of fries per unit weight of tubers. Fry color and processing ratings for Highland Russet were similar to Ranger Russet and Russet Burbank but fry color uniformity was higher than either of the standard varieties. In full-season trials conducted over a three-year period in the states of Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, and California; Highland Russet averaged 7% and 9% higher total yields and 21% and 52% higher U.S. No. 1 yields than Ranger Russet and Russet Burbank, respectively. It has moderately high specific gravity, with values similar to Ranger Russet and higher than Russet Burbank. Highland Russet is moderately resistant to Verticillium wilt and powdery scab root galling, as well as to tuber infections of late blight. It is also moderately resistant to common strains of potato virus Y (PVY(O)) but is susceptible to PVY(NTN). It is moderately susceptible to pink rot, common scab, powdery scab of the tuber and early blight of the tuber, as well as to Pectobacterium soft rot and Fusarium dry rot. Highland Russet is susceptible to foliar late blight, PLRV infection, Root-knot nematode and corky ringspot but is moderately resistant to PLRV net necrosis. The incidence of hollow heart in Highland Russet is low, similar to that of Ranger Russet and lower than Russet Burbank, Blackspot bruise reaction of Highland Russet is similar to Russet Burbank but it is less susceptible to shatter bruise.