KIMBERLY, Idaho-A new publication on storage management of A93157-6LS potatoes is available online through University of Idaho Educational Communications and the Idaho Center for Potato Research and Education.
"6LS"-a mid- to late maturing multi-purpose potato released in 2006 by the USDA Agricultural Research Service and the agricultural experiment stations of Idaho, Oregon and Washington-is noteworthy for its low glucose concentration and its correspondingly light fry color.
Three years of storage research at the University of Idaho's Kimberly Research and Extension Center, described in the publication, confirmed that glucose concentrations in 6LS were much lower than those in Russet Burbank at 42, 45 and 48 degrees Fahrenheit. Indeed, the highest glucose concentration observed in 6LS-below 0.03 percent fresh weight-was less than the lowest concentration in Russet Burbank.
At a score of USDA 1 or below for all three storage temperatures, stem end fry color in 6LS was also remarkably light, according to Tina Brandt, the publication's author and a research support scientist at Kimberly. By comparison, Russet Burbank scored USDA 2 to 3 at 45 and 48 degrees Fahrenheit and USDA 3 to 4 at 42 degrees Fahrenheit.
However, the research also found that 6LS tubers break dormancy between 45 and 55 days earlier than Russet Burbank tubers and that they are significantly more prone to Fusarium dry rot decay. At all three storage temperatures, 6LS tubers also had significantly higher weight loss than Russet Burbank tubers.
The publication, "Storage Management of A93157-6LS," can be found at
http://info.ag.uidaho.edu/pdf/CIS/CIS1142.pdf. It offers recommendations for harvest conditions, storage conditions and duration, sprout inhibition, and Fusarium dry rot management. Co-authors include Nora Olsen and Jeff Stark of the University of Idaho and Rich Novy of the USDA-ARS.