Abstract
Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is an important agricultural crop for Florida. From 1996 to 2000, the winter and spring potato crop was grown on an average of 39,000 acres and valued at $117 million. Variety evaluation and selection are important tools to improve production efficiency and increase the competitiveness of Florida growers. A red-skinned potato variety evaluation was conducted in southern Florida in 2002- 2003. The experimental design was a four (site) by six (variety) factorial with four replications at each site. The four sites were two commercial farms in Homestead, Florida. and two commercial farms in Immokalee, Florida. Marketable tuber yields were 124, 126, 70, 83, 96, and 112 cwt acre[sup-] for Red LaSoda', 'LaRouge', B0984-1, B1145-2, B1758-3, and B1758-4, respectively. Tuber yields of the two named varieties were significantly higher than those of all numbered entries except B1758- 4. Specific gravity ranged from 1.062 for B1145-2 to 1.075 for B0984-1. There were no significant differences among entries for total cull weight, however, B1758-3 and B1758-4 had a higher percentage of tubers with hollow heart than all other entries. B0984-1 tubers had among the lowest incidence of internal tuber defects of all varieties. Potato varieties ranked from lowest to highest in overall appearance were 'Red LaSoda', 'LaRouge', B1145-2, B0984-1, B1758-3, and B1758-4. Higher appearance ratings for the numbered entries were attributed to darker-red skin color, rounder tuber shape, and shallower eyes compared to 'Red LaSoda' and 'LaRouge'. 'Red LaSoda' and 'LaRouge' will continue to be recommended as the standard red-skinned potato varieties for Florida, however, B0984- 1 and B1758-4 had desirable characteristics and should be planted in larger plantings to further evaluate quality and production characteristics.
