Friday, 14 October 2016 14:34

Big future for bright spud

Written by Rural News Group

font size decrease font size increase font size
Print
Email

White Beauty.

There is a new bright-skinned beauty in the potato patch that scrubs up well and is set to cause a bit of a stir.

White Beauty is a new potato produced from a 15-year breeding programme at Plant & Food Research. The new potato is a cross between the disease-resistant Summer Delight potato and the old multipurpose Australian favourite Coliban.

The result is a bright, versatile potato that is extremely high-yielding.

“White Beauty comes with a lot of promise,” says Plant & Food Research crop scientist John Anderson. “Not only is it showing itself to be an excellent all-round cooking potato, it has a very nice taste, which we think will prove a real challenge to other potato cultivars in the market.”

White Beauty has a lower sugar and higher dry matter content than many other potatoes in the fresh market potato range, such as Nadine, the most widely consumed white potato. This means it makes a good mash and is great for roasting, as well as being delicious boiled whole, making it a more versatile potato for consumers.

Although marketed as White Beauty, the cultivar name is ‘Crop39’, and is licensed to Morgan Laurenson Ltd. The company believes that the impressive characteristics of the new cultivar should translate well into wide distribution.

“White Beauty is set to become a serious market contender in the washed and brushed table potato range,” says Morgan Laurenson managing director Bill Foster. “From the perspective of both the grower and the consumer, we believe White Beauty has the potential to be a hit.

“The characteristics of White Beauty also bode well for exploring new export opportunities.”

Although White Beauty has been bred specifically for New Zealand conditions, it is also being evaluated in both Australia and the USA.

White Beauty will be commercially available to growers through Morgan Laurenson Ltd from 2017.

For more information on the potato breeding programme, go to http://www.plantandfood.co.nz/growingfutures/case-studies/potatoes-for-boiling-crisping-chipping

More like this

Science system shakeup ‘to maximise investment value’

Reaction to the Government’s major overhaul of the country’s seven crown research organisations has so far been largely positive.

Major shakeup for the NZ science system

The government has announced a major restructuring of the country's seven crown research institutes (CRIs), which will see them merged into three public research organisations (PROs).

Temptation Valley makes a splash

Later this month, Ardgour Valley Orchards apricots will burst onto the world stage and domestic supermarket shelves under the Temptation Valley brand.

Trials show promise for regenerative farming

Regenerative farming trials in Gisborne, in partnership with Woolworths, LeaderBrand, and Plant & Food Research, are uncovering promising opportunities for sustainable vegetable farming in New Zealand.

Using microbiomes to combat trunk disease

Harnessing microbial communities to mitigate grapevine trunk disease is an “exciting prospect” for New Zealand’s wine industry, says Dr Hayley Ridgway.

Featured

New industry body aims to unite and rebuild strong wool industry

A new levying body, currently with the working title of NZWool, has been proposed to secure the future of New Zealand's strong wool sector.

RMA replacement bills promise major change for farmers

The most talked about, economically transformational pieces of legislation in a generation have finally begun their journey into the statute books.

Three new grower directors appointed to FAR board

Effective from 1 January 2026, there will be three new grower directors on the board of the Foundation for Arable Research (FAR).

Competition snares over 33,000 wild goats

The National Wild Goat Hunting Competition has removed 33,418 wild goats over the past three years.

New healthcare model needed to address rates of rural obesity

New Zealand needs a new healthcare model to address rising rates of obesity in rural communities, with the current system leaving many patients unable to access effective treatment or long-term support, warn GPs.