Spain: New potato varieties for extreme climates

Pepsur Marketing, a subsidiary of Pan European Potato Enterprise Limited, a company dedicated to the production and marketing of potatoes and seed potatoes, has developed several new varieties (Tornado, Fandango, Gatsby, La Strada, and Sunset) especially for the producing areas of Spain and (Gatsby, La Strada, and Sunset) Portugal.

The new Tornado variety is one of the outstanding early varieties. It has a bright red skin, white meat, and can be grown in extreme drought conditions and high temperatures, it is also very resistant to the common scab. "Since it produces many tubers, we suggest planting it at a bigger distance than usual to get good yields," said David Sanchez, Pepsur's Technical Director of Marketing. "It is ideal for baking and frying," he added.

Tornado is a red variety.

After two years of testing in experimental fields, La Strada, a new early variety that is characterized by producing large tubers, will be marketed this year. "80% of the La Strada potatoes that we harvested were bigger than 70 mm and had 0% internal defects," said David Sanchez, "it is an interesting variety for producers seeking large sizes." La Strada adapts to extreme climates and tolerates drought. "The tests performed on this variety in experimental fields in Egypt, and Seville and Murcia in Spain, have had positive results. It is also adapts to more northern regions, such as Galicia and Castilla León in Spain, and Lisbon in Portugal.

La Strada is an early variety.

Regarding the mid-cycle varieties, Pepsur presented the Gatsby and Fandango varieties.

The Gatsby variety also produces large tubers, although it's production schedule starts later, as it is a mid-cycle variety. "We intend to market it in the organic market because of its high resistance to mildew and the Alternaria fungus. Due to its high dry matter content, it is a very suitable for frying."

The Fandango is also a mid-cycle variety. It is an ideal variety that has to be washed and brushed, as its large and uniform tubers have an excellent soft and shiny skin that can be easily cleaned.

Fandango, a mid-cycle potato variety.

Finally, Pepsur completes its supply of new varieties with Sunset (late cycle), a potato of the Desiree kind. "We launched the Sunset variety for those who know the Desiree potato, a rustic potato with one of the highest yields, as one of its parents is the Desiree. It is almost like the Desiree but it is much more resistant to diseases, such as Fusarium, Mildew, or the common scab. It is one of the varieties with the highest yields in the tests performed in the Canary Islands," he said.

For more information:
David Sánchez
PepSur
T:+34 983 812 769
M:+34 685 896 924
david.sanchez@pep-eu.com
www.pepsur.com