Sentinel

Potato

Variety Description

Varieties used for comparison: 'Atlantic' and 'Superior'

Summary: 'Sentinel' has a more upright growth habit than the reference varieties and has a shorter plant height than 'Atlantic'. 'Sentinel' has darker leaf colour and a more closed leaf silhouette than the reference varieties. 'Sentinel' has light yellow tuber flesh while the reference varieties have white tuber flesh. 'Sentinel' has a spherical shaped light sprout while 'Atlantic' has an ovoid light sprout and 'Superior' has a conical light sprout. 'Sentinel' has weaker anthocyanin colouration at the base of the light sprout with a lower proportion of blue than the reference varieties. 'Sentinel' has sparser pubescence on the light sprout tip and base than 'Atlantic'. 'Sentinel' has a lower number of root tips on the light sprout than the reference varieties.

Description:

PLANT: upright growth habit, foliage structure intermediate between stem and leaf type, early to mid-season maturity

STEM: absent or very weak anthocyanin colouration, thick main stem, medium swelling at nodes

LEAVES: dark green, closed silhouette, absent or very weak anthocyanin in rachis and petiole, weak waviness of margin, strong presence of secondary leaflets
TERMINAL LEAFLET: broad ovate, cuspidate tip, cordate base
LATERAL LEAFLETS: medium size, narrow ovate, acute tip, cordate base

INFLORESCENCE: medium flowering profusion, medium size, flower buds persistent
COROLLA: red-violet, very weak to weak anthocyanin colouration on inner surface, medium size, prominent star, absent or very weak anthocyanin in peduncle

TUBER: oval, light yellow flesh with no secondary colour
TUBER EYES: shallow, evenly distributed, slight prominence of eyebrows
TUBER SKIN: light beige, white at base of eye, rough texture

LIGHT SPROUT: medium size, spherical shape, very few root tips, short lateral shoots
BASE: weak anthocyanin colouration, absent or low proportion of blue in anthocyanin, sparse pubescence
TIP: smaller than base in size, closed habit, absent or very weak anthocyanin colouration, sparse pubescence.

Origin & Breeding History: 'Sentinel' originated from a cross between F2218 and F47024, made in 1981 at the Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada Research Station in Fredericton, New Brunswick, and selected at the Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada Research Station in Lethbridge, Alberta. F2218 is a mid season, fresh market potato with light yellow flesh. F47024 is a mid season, high yielding, oval shaped fresh market potato with white flesh, white skin and resistance to scab and PVY. The true potato seed was sown in the greenhouse in 1982 with field selections taking place from 1983 to 1986. The variety was evaluated in the Western Canadian Regional Potato Trials in 1988-1989 and in 1991-1994.

Tests & Trials: Trials for 'Sentinel' were conducted at Vauxhall, Alberta in 2006 and 2007. A randomized block design was used with four replicates per variety. Plots consisted of rows 7.6 metres long with plants spaced 30 cm apart and between row spacing of 91 cm. Measured characteristics were based on a minimum of 20 measurements and colour determinations were made using the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) colour chart.

Comparison tables for 'Sentinel' with reference varieties 'Atlantic' and 'Superior'

Plant height (cm)

Colour of corolla (RHS)

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Potato: 'Sentinel' (left) with reference varieties 'Superior' (centre) and 'Atlantic' (right)

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Potato: 'Sentinel' (right) with reference varieties 'Superior' (left) and 'Atlantic' (centre)

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Potato: 'Sentinel' (left) with reference varieties 'Atlantic' (centre) and 'Superior' (right)