Alturas

Potato

Variety Description

Varieties used for comparison: 'Russet Burbank' and 'Umatilla Russet'

Summary: 'Alturas' has a higher flowering profusion than the reference varieties. 'Alturas' has white flowers while 'Umatilla Russet' has red-violet flowers. 'Alturas' has an oval tuber shape while the reference varieties have long tubers. 'Alturas' has fewer tuber eyes than the reference varieties which are predominantly apical in distribution while the tuber eyes are evenly distributed on the reference varieties.

Description:

'Alturas' has a semi-erect growth habit and produces an intermediate type plant which is medium in height. The stem has medium anthocyanin colouration and is medium in thickness. The stem wings are prominent and waved single. The stem nodes have slight swelling and no anthocyanin colouration. 'Alturas' produces a high number of branches.

'Alturas' has olive green to medium green leaves with medium pubescence on the lower surface. The leaf silhouette is open. The leaf rachis has no anthocyanin colouration and has weak pubescence on the top and bottom. The petiole has no anthocyanin and the stipules are small in size. The terminal leaflet is narrowly ovate in shape with an acute to acuminate shaped tip and acute to obtuse shaped base which is very slightly asymmetrical. The margin has weak waviness. There are five pairs of primary leaflets which are small in size. The primary leaflets are narrow ovate in shape with an acute to acuminate shaped tip and asymmetrical, obtuse to cordate shaped base.

'Alturas' has a high flowering profusion and produces a medium number of florets per inflorescence. The flower bud has weak anthocyanin colouration and the buds are persistent. The flowers are white in colour with no anthocyanin colouration on the inner side and outer side. The corolla is medium in size with a weak to moderately prominent star. The calyx has weak anthocyanin and the peduncle has absent to weak anthocyanin colouration. The anthers are bright yellow in colour and arranged in a narrow cone shape. The stigma is capitate in shape and medium green in colour.

The tuber has buff skin with no secondary colour. The skin texture is rough and the tuber shape is oval. The tuber eyes are shallow in depth, low to medium in number and predominantly apical in distribution. The tuber eyebrows are not prominent to slightly prominent. The flesh is white in colour with no secondary colour. There are a medium number of tubers per plant.

The light sprout is ovoid in shape. The base has medium pubescence and strong, red-violet anthocyanin colouration. The tip habit is closed. The tip has weak pubescence and medium, red-violet anthocyanin. There are a medium number of light sprout root initials and the protrusion of lenticels is weak. The length of the lateral shoots is short.

Origin & Breeding History: 'Alturas' originated from a cross between A77182-1 and A75188-3, made at the University of Idaho's Aberdeen Research and Extension Center in 1982. It was selected in the field in 1989 and subsequently went through 12 years of evaluation and selection. In 1995 to 1997, 'Alturas' was tested in seven western states as part of the Western Regional Variety Trial and was originally maintained under the breeding designation A82360-7. Selection criteria included yield, specific gravity, total dry matter production and disease resistance.

Tests & Trials: Tests and trials for 'Alturas' were conducted near Grand Falls, New Brunswick in 2002. A randomized block design was used with four replicates per variety. All entries were planted in single-row plots which were 5.7 metres long. Spacing between adjacent plots was 91 cm and spacing between plants was 30.5 cm. Measured characteristics were based on 20 measurements.

Comparison tables for 'Alturas' with reference varieties 'Russet Burbank' and 'Umatilla Russet'

Colour of corolla (RHS)

Tuber length (mm)

Tuber width (mm)

Tuber thickness (mm)