This article appears in the January 2018 issue of Potato Grower.
In this Smorgasbord, we take a look at Sierra Gold, a russet-skinned, yellow-fleshed variety developed at Texas A&M University’s Texas Agricultural Experiment Station. Used as an alternative to Yukon Gold, Sierra Gold offers great specialty table-stock market appeal.
Certified Sierra Gold seed is available from Cal-Ore Seed, Inc.
Many thanks to Creighton Miller and his team with the Texas A&M potato breeding and variety development program, as well as Amy Leo with Cal-Ore Seed for their help this month.
Parentage
- Krantz × Delta Gold
- PVP applied for (No. 200200202)
Morphological Characteristics
- Medium to small vine, medium open
- Slightly higher stem number than Yukon Gold
- Not sensitive to metribuzin
- Slightly flattened, smooth, oval tubers
- Uniform russet skin much lighter than Russet Norkotah
- Shallow eyes distributed more heavily near the apical end
- Eyebrows are slightly prominent
- Yellow flesh similar to Yukon Gold
- Low total glycoalkoloids
Agronomic Characteristics
- Medium early maturity
Medium yield; good early yields
- Same or slightly lower specific gravity than Yukon Gold
- High resistance to hollow heart and brown center
- Generally low incidence of internal and external defects
- More resistant to common scab and black scurf than Yukon Gold
- Some susceptibility to shatter bruise
- Susceptible to foliar late blight
- Less susceptible to tuber late blight, PLRV, PVX, PVY, PVS and PVM than Yukon Gold or Russet Norkotah
Culinary Quality
- Excellent tablestock qualities, especially as microwave product
- Reported to be superior to Yukon Gold in fry color and combined sensory scores
Storability
- Shorter dormancy than Yukon Gold
- Generally stores well in commercial tests
Seed Availability
- Certified seed available from Cal-Ore Seed, Inc.