Payette Russet: a Dual-Purpose Potato Cultivar with Cold-Sweetening Resistance, Low Acrylamide Formation, and Resistance to Late Blight and Potato Virus Y

Abstract

Payette Russet is a full season, russet-skinned potato cultivar notable for its cold-sweetening resistance and associated low acrylamide formation, making it ideally suited for processing into French fries and other potato products. Low asparagine and reducing sugar concentrations in Payette Russet tubers contribute to an 81 % reduction in acrylamide content in French fries relative to cultivars Ranger Russet and Russet Burbank following eight months storage at 9 °C. In three years of evaluations in the Western Regional Potato Variety Trials, average yield of Payette Russet was intermediate between Ranger Russet and Russet Burbank, but Payette Russet had the highest U.S. No. 1 yield when averaged across all eight trial locations. Acceptably low tuber glucose concentrations (<0.10 % glucose FWB) were maintained in Payette Russet following up to nine months storage at temperatures as low as 5.6 °C with consistently acceptable French fry color scores obtained (USDA value ≤2.0). Reducing sugars are also maintained uniformly throughout Payette Russet tubers, resulting in a low incidence of sugar ends and reduced mottling in French fries relative to standard processing cultivars. Long tuber dormancy also benefits long-term storage for processing. With its russet skin, Payette Russet could also be used for fresh-pack, and its assemblage of disease resistances makes it especially suitable for organic production, or for use by growers and companies seeking greater sustainability in their production. Payette Russet is resistant to foliar and tuber late blight, common scab, and has extreme resistance to PVY conferred by the presence of the Rysto resistance gene. Payette Russet also has a moderate level of resistance to Verticillium wilt, early blight, and corky ringspot. It is susceptible to Fusarium dry rot (F. sambucinum), therefore production and storage management guidelines are provided to minimize tuber infection. Payette Russet displays a low incidence of second growth and growth cracks, especially relative to Russet Burbank, and is intermediate between Ranger Russet and Russet Burbank for incidence of hollow heart/brown center. Blackspot bruise expression for Payette Russet is similar to Russet Burbank and reduced relative to Ranger Russet. Payette Russet was more susceptible to shatter bruise, internal brown spot, and tuber weight loss in storage relative to the industry standard cultivars. Payette Russet was released in 2015 by the USDA-ARS and the Agricultural Experiment Stations of Idaho, Oregon, and Washington, and is a product of the Northwest (Tri-State) Potato Variety Development Program.