Topic: seed potatoes

[Tattieman]

Slug resistance is a difficult one really. I would say Sarpo Mira anf Kestrel are pretty resistant and there are others that we would rate as resistant but sometimes you will get the odd slug hole in them.

At least this morning it looks dry and we might get to harvest some Salad Blue today.

[Deb P]

I think I must be the only person on the planet that doesn't like PFA ...

No you are not Anne, I think they taste like Brazil nuts and therefore I just don't like the taste. I can just about tolerate some of their crossed daughters like 'Anya' which have the shape but not as 'knobbly' and the taste is more potato like.

I was in Holland on hols at the end of August and the papers were full of it being the worst summer on record, it rained every day we were there so I'm not surprised they are having potato problems!

I shall be sticking to earlies and second earlies again next year, Charlotte, Kestrel, Nicola or Nadine, and one other last minute 'suprise me' purchase made on the spur of the moment!

[Morris]

Tattieman, I ordered from you for the first time last year and was very pleased!

I notice Juliette is out of stock, one of my favourites - is she going to be available at all this year, do you know?

Thanks  :)

[pansy potter]

What a great site. Has anyone tried Maxine. We only like waxy spuds in our house

[Tattieman]

Maxine are great spuds and we have no Juliette this year. We never got out harvesting today as it was too wet again.

[cornykev]

This is my 6th season growing Kestrel on the plot and only the last two have had slug holes in my kestrel, one last year and two this,  :D I've had a bit of scab though it's not a problem, I'm thinking of blaming the council compost for the scab.  :-X
 One thing I have noticed is that lovely purpley colour is becoming less every year, some of them where completely colourless, I wondered if anyone else had noticed this and what Tattieman thoughts were on the matter. 
I got the free Sarpo Miro that someone pointed me to this year and they are a lovely red waxy spud with zero slug holes, although a few had the ends nibbled off,  but they are easier just to cut the edge off.    :D

[Unwashed]

One thing I have noticed is that lovely purpley colour is becoming less every year, some of them where completely colourless, I wondered if anyone else had noticed this and what Tattieman thoughts were on the matter.

Yes, I'd definitely noticed it this year and even had a few that I'd say were all white, and I'm sure they've been getting progressively less colourfull over the years.

[Tattieman]

Yes this problem has been noted in Kestrel and I noticed this myself for the first time this year.
I think the colour breaks down over time as potatoes clone each other and every time they copy themselves the breed character is being eroded away.
Its like if you send someone a fax and then that person faxes the fax and the next person faxes it to another person. After so many copies of a copy the quality gets worse. Thats why every 6 years new stock is started from minitubers.

[pumkinlover]

That's interesting -I'd noticed the same in Kestrel but kind of just thought it was how I'd grown them or such like.

Another thing I have noticed is that Pink Fir apples are less knobbly! I grow Anya as well because they are not as Knobbly, but was surprised at the reduced level of knobblyness on the PFA's. I did not get them muddled up :D

[Morris]

Any recommendations on what to grow instead of Juliette? A reliably waxy second early/early maincrop that stores well?

I don't rate Charlotte here, the flavour isn't as good as Juliette.

PS - aargh no Harlequin either, which I trialled last year and liked - better than Anya imo.

[Robert_Brenchley]

Yes this problem has been noted in Kestrel and I noticed this myself for the first time this year.
I think the colour breaks down over time as potatoes clone each other and every time they copy themselves the breed character is being eroded away.
Its like if you send someone a fax and then that person faxes the fax and the next person faxes it to another person. After so many copies of a copy the quality gets worse. Thats why every 6 years new stock is started from minitubers.

Where do the minitubers come from? It can't just be cloning; minitubers are clones as well. Maybe it's down to virus?

[cornykev]

Cheers for that, I did notice the colours last year but a lot more this year, as Simon said some of them are white.   :-\ :D

[Tattieman]

Yes this problem has been noted in Kestrel and I noticed this myself for the first time this year.
I think the colour breaks down over time as potatoes clone each other and every time they copy themselves the breed character is being eroded away.
Its like if you send someone a fax and then that person faxes the fax and the next person faxes it to another person. After so many copies of a copy the quality gets worse. Thats why every 6 years new stock is started from minitubers.

Where do the minitubers come from? It can't just be cloning; minitubers are clones as well. Maybe it's down to virus?

Robert minitubers come from microplants that are made from stem cuttings and grown in what we call honey jars. These are made from an original clone of the variety and grown in the lab. The plants are then cut again and again until you have 1000s of copies of the original microplant. The microplants are then grown in sterile peat and produce the new generation of the original potato and the original microplant clone can be stored in honey jars for years and years.

One of Kestrels parents is probably a white skinned potato and it it most likely that as the clone is copied and copied that the potatoes start to revert to one of the parents. That is probably why Kestrel goes white.

[Robert_Brenchley]

Problem is you have two clones there. One reverts to a white form, the other doesn't. That has to be more than just the cloning. Since viruses spread through the plant rather slowly, and don't reach the young stems used for the microtubers, they're an obvious possibility.

[Tattieman]

If there were any viruses present then the potatoes would not pass the field inspections. The inspectors carry virus testing kits and test the crops as they grow.

If there were any viruses present in the original clone in the lab then they would not be released for reproduction. It is a really interesting idea Robert but I just can't see a virus doing that.

One of Kestrels parents is Cara. There are no purple marking on Cara. One of Caras parents is a variety called Ulster Glade which was a white variety. Potatoes have a very complex DNA and this is why it took so long for the DNA markers of potatoes to be recorded.

Another interesting observation that I made this year was that potatoes from a single single sack of Kestrel were sent out to 6 top show growers. 3 growers on the dry east coast and 3 on the wet west coast. When all the potatoes were brought together to a show it was very plain to see that the east coast growers had more colour on their kestrel compared to the west coast.

I then started to wonder if the amount of sunlight and other regional weather patterns were also a factor in the colour on the potatoes.

[pumkinlover]

Another member PM@d me with a similar comment about knobbles on PFA.
However he felt that they were more knobbly when dry and this year was dry for us but no-where near as knobbly.
Also my observation goes back over a decade. :-\

BTW fantastic thread this- lots to learn