Alturas: A multi-purpose, Russet potato cultivar with high yield and tuber specific gravity

Abstract

‘Alturas’, a late-maturing, high-yielding, russet potato cultivar with high tuber specific gravity, was released in 2002 by the USDA-ARS and the Agricultural Experiment Stations of Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. Originally selected for dehydration processing, its cold-sweetening resistance also makes it suitable for processing out of storage into french fries and other frozen potato products. Culinary quality is high, with larger tubers suitable for fresh market if heavily russeted skin is not essential. Alturas consistently produced greater total and U.S. No. 1 yields than ‘Russet Burbank’ and ‘Ranger Russet’ in southern Idaho trials. Across other western trial sites, total yields of Alturas have on average been 29% and 14% greater than Russet Burbank and Ranger Russet, respectively. Alturas is resistant to Verticillium wilt (Verticillium dahliae) and early blight (Alternaria solani). Compared with Russet Burbank and Ranger Russet, Alturas is less susceptible to corky ringspot and foliar and tuber infection by late blight (Phytophthora infestans). It also is less susceptible to tuber net necrosis and Fusarium dry rot than Russet Burbank, and is more resistant to common scab (Streptomyces scabies) than Ranger Russet. However, Alturas is more susceptible to infection by PVY and PVX than Ranger Russet. Total nitrogen application recommendations for Alturas are approximately 40% less than those for Russet Burbank. Alturas requires 15% to 20% more water during the growing season than does Russet Bur-bank.