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Canadian and European Varieties for the Fresh Market

February 29, 2016

Canadian and European Varieties for the Fresh Market
From Eugenia Banks, Potato Specialist, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture & Food (Retired), and Ontario Potato Board, Ontario, Canada, presented at the 2016 Empire State Producers Expo Potato Session

Potato breeders are always busy trying to develop fresh market varieties with traits that enhance farm sustainability: resistance to diseases, and attractive, tasty tubers preferred by consumers. Every year, potato-breeding programs evaluate advanced clones at several locations to determine how well the new clones perform under different weather patterns and soil conditions. There are key traits that a new fresh market variety should have:
  • Attractive Appearance: Smooth, bright skin are traits requested by buyers. Good examples are the yellow fleshed variety Colomba (European) and the white fleshed Envol (Quebec). 

  • Early Maturity: This is a plus for fresh market growers. Envol is the earliest white flesh variety grown in Ontario, but it has to be grown in soils not infested with common scab. 

  • Yield: A profitable marketable yield is essential for farm sustainability.

  • Consistency & Predictability: Once you are familiar with the variety, you should be able to determine how much nitrogen fertilizer and other nutrients are required to obtain good yields with the tuber size profile you need for your market. Another example of consistency and predictability is performance under tough conditions such as wet or hot summers.

  • Disease Resistance: Resistance to common scab is an important trait in areas where this soil-borne disease is a problem. Fresh-market producers with scab problems in their fields need to trade off some of the above mentioned traits for common scab resistance. 
See the most promising Canadian and European varieties being trialed in Ontario, Canada.


Canadian & European Varieties for the Fresh Market (pdf; 6067KB)

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Upcoming Events

2025 Potato Advisory Meeting

Event Offers DEC Credits

December 16, 2025
Canandaigua, NY

Come hear the latest on insect pest control and fertility management in potatoes from Cornell University experts. Potato variety trial updates will be shared too. After lunch will be the Empire State Potato Grower's Meeting. 1.5 DEC credits in 10, 1a, and 23.

View 2025 Potato Advisory Meeting Details

2026 Finger Lakes Produce Auction Winter Growers Meeting

Event Offers DEC Credits

January 8, 2026
Penn Yan, NY

At this vegetable grower-focused meeting, ag industry experts will discuss food safety, disease management in strawberries, the benefits of using cover crops, plus more. Two grower panel discussions will focus on pest management techniques and irrigation. DEC recertification credits offered in categories 10, 1a, 21, 22, 23, and 24.

View 2026 Finger Lakes Produce Auction Winter Growers Meeting Details

Announcements

Cornell Crop and Pest Management Guidelines Paused

From Cornell IPM:

Highlighting its commitment to quality and long-term sustainability, Cornell Integrated Pest Management's Pesticide Safety Education Program has announced
a pause in production of the 2026 Cornell Crop and Pest Management Guidelines.

Cornell IPM Director Alejandro Calixto said this temporary measure is the result of a comprehensive reimagining process facilitated by Illume Projects of Ithaca, which included end-user interviews, internal surveys and sales data analytics.

"It became clear to us that we cannot continue producing the guidelines and fully restructure them at the same time," Calixto said. "By pausing production, we can dedicate all available resources and time to rebuilding the production process, ensuring that when we re-launch in 2027, the guidelines will reflect a modernized approach built around the grower and other user experience."

A series of annually updated reference manuals produced by Cornell IPM and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS), the Cornell Crop and Pest Management Guidelines are widely used by farmers, agronomists, crop consultants and extension educators in New York and throughout the Northeast. They include information about current IPM recommendations, pesticide options, cultural practices, nutrient management, disease, insect and weed identification and resistance-management strategies.

Calixto and Pesticide Safety Education Program Lead Mike Helms will spearhead efforts to restructure the guideline process over the next 12 months, with a goal of launching a more streamlined, user-friendly version in 2027.

Limited copies of the 2025 guidelines remain available for purchase while supplies last through The Cornell Store. The 2026-2027 Greenhouse Guidelines will be available.

For more information contact Helms at mjh14@cornell.edu.


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