BOTANICAL PROPERTIES
•
Growth habit:
Fairly strong, upright, develops quite rapidly to a medium height. Usually a low number of haulms
per tuber, with good leaf coverage.
•
Flowers:
Few pure white flowers.
•
Tubers:
Oval-oblong to pear-shaped with shallow eyes. Skin and flesh are white.
AGRONOMICAL PROPERTIES
•
Growing period:
Short (70 to 90 days).
•
Yield:
Average yield potential. Low yield potential under dryland cultivation (particularly with water
stress at the beginning of the growing season).
•
Tuber size distribution:
Mostly medium and large, with a low percentage of small tubers, even under unfavourable
conditions.
•
Tuber appearance:
Regular. Tuber malformation does occur under unfavourable conditions (heat and/or water
stress), but secondary growth very seldom occurs.
•
Tuber dormancy:
Long (90 to 110 days). Dormancy of progeny tubers is shortened with periods of heat
and/or water stress during the growing season.
•
General:
Sensitive to cold soil, not suitable for winter and early spring plantings, except in areas with
warmer winter months (Northern Province and parts of Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal).
Best yield on heavier, fertile soils.
SONSUMER PROPERTIES
•
Eating quality:
Very good. Firm cooking type which does not slough or discolour after cooking.
•
Processing quality:
Suitable for processing. Average to low relative density (SG) and low reducing sugar content.
•
Keeping quality:
Very good under all cultivation conditions. Quality deteriorates very gradually, allowing storage
of tubers directly in the soil or in cold storage for long periods.
DISEASES
•
Late blight:
Moderate resistance.
•
Early blight:
Moderately susceptible.
•
Virus diseases:
Moderate field resistance to leaf roll and mosaic virus.
•
Common scab:
Susceptible.
•
Fusarium dry rot:
Susceptible.
•
Fusarium wilt:
Very susceptible.
•
Physiological disorders:
Internal brown spot and hollow heart seldom occur, even under unfavourable growing
conditions.
Potato Cultivars: Vanderplank
