Canadian and European Varieties for the Fresh Market

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

Upcoming Events
Vegetable Pest and Cultural Management Field Meeting for Auction Growers -- Ontario
July 28, 2026
Canandaigua, NY
A field walk will demonstrate pest management in fresh market vegetables in both field and greenhouse (high tunnel) vegetables, primarily for those growing for wholesale auction. CCE Cornell Vegetable Program Specialist Judson Reid will identify weeds, insects and diseases in vegetables and will go over management options such as inter-row cover crops, grafting, and where appropriate, spray options.
DEC recertification credits available: 2.0 in categories 10, 1a, 23 and 24.
Vegetable Pest and Cultural Management Field Meeting for Auction Growers -- Seneca
July 29, 2026
Romulus, NY
A field walk will demonstrate pest management in fresh market vegetables in both field and greenhouse (high tunnel) vegetables, primarily for those growing for wholesale auction. CCE Cornell Vegetable Program Specialist Judson Reid will identify weeds, insects and diseases in vegetables and will go over management options such as inter-row cover crops, grafting, and where appropriate, spray options.
DEC recertification credits available: 2.0 in categories 10, 1a, 23 and 24.
Vegetable Pest and Cultural Management Field Meeting for Auction Growers -- Yates
July 31, 2026
Himrod, NY
A field walk will demonstrate pest management in fresh market vegetables in both field and greenhouse (high tunnel) vegetables, primarily for those growing for wholesale auction. CCE Cornell Vegetable Program Specialist Judson Reid will identify weeds, insects and diseases in vegetables and will go over management options such as inter-row cover crops, grafting, and where appropriate, spray options.
DEC recertification credits available: 2.0 in categories 10, 1a, 23 and 24.