Cecile

Potato

Variety Description

Variety used for comparison: 'Rodeo'

Summary: 'Cecile' has a spreading growth habit while it is semi-upright for 'Rodeo'. The stem is thin for 'Cecile' while it is thick for 'Rodeo'. 'Cecile' has a very strong anthocyanin colouration of the petiole while it is medium for 'Rodeo'. The frequency of coalescence of the terminal and lateral leaflets is high for 'Cecile' while it is low for 'Rodeo'. 'Cecile' has no or very weak waviness of margin of the terminal and lateral leaflets while it is medium for 'Rodeo'. 'Cecile' has an elliptical tuber with red at the base of the eye while the tubers are oblong for 'Rodeo' with white at the base of the eye. The anthocyanin colouration on the tip of the light sprout is strong for 'Cecile' while it is weak for 'Rodeo'.

Description:

PLANT: spreading growth habit, stem type foliage structure
STEM: strong anthocyanin colouration distributed evenly, thin, nodes with medium swelling

LEAVES: dark green, intermediate silhouette, very strong anthocyanin colouration on upper side of rachis and petiole, medium depth veins, absent or very weak waviness of margin, medium glossiness on upper side, slight pubescence on leaves of apical rosette, strong presence of secondary leaflets
TERMINAL LEAFLET: broad ovate shape, cuspidate tip, obtuse base, high frequency of coalescence with lateral leaflets
LATERAL LEAFLET: medium, narrow ovate shape, acute tip, cordate base

INFLORESCENCE: medium flowering profusion, medium size, flower buds are persistent, weak anthocyanin colouration of flower bud
COROLLA: red-violet, medium size, prominant star, strong anthocyanin colouration of inner side, very strong anthocyanin colouration on peduncle

TUBER: elliptical
TUBER SKIN: red, red at base of eye, smooth texture
TUBER EYES: shallow, predominantly apical distribution, slight prominence of eyebrows
TUBER FLESH: medium to dark yellow, no secondary colour

LIGHT SPROUT: medium size, conical shape, few root tips, short lateral shoots
BASE: strong anthocyanin colouration, medium proportion of blue in anthocyanin colouration, medium dense pubescence
TIP: smaller than base in size, intermediate habit, strong anthocyanin colouration, dense pubescence

Origin & Breeding History: 'Cecile' originates from the conventional cross of 'Nicola' and 'RZ-88-204'. The cross was made in 1992 at HZPC R&D in Metslawier, The Netherlands. The testing and selection criteria include yield, internal and external quality, resistance against different diseases and pests.

Tests & Trials: Trials for 'Cecile' were conducted in Drummond, New Brunswick in 2007. All entries were planted in single-row plots. Plots consisted of rows 22 metres long with 30 cm in row spacing between plants and spacing between rows of 91 cm. Measured characteristics were based on 10 measurements. Colour determinations were made using the 1986 RHS colour chart.

Click on image for larger view

Potato: 'Cecile' (right) with reference variety 'Rodeo' (left)