Russet Burbank

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General

• Origin & Breeding: bred and selected by L. Burbank in Santa Rosa, California, around 1880.
• Year registered in Canada: 1923
• Registration number: P-17
• Maturity: late to very late

Botanical Features

• Plants: medium sized, spreading; stems medium thick, prominently angled, slightly mottled reddish purple; nodes slightly swollen.
• Leaves: moderately open, medium sized; midribs scantly pubescent.
  Terminal leaflets: large, elliptical-ovate, tip acuminate; base slightly truncate.
  Primary leaflets: large, elliptical to ovate, four pairs.
  Secondary leaflets: generally three pairs.
• Flowers: medium sized, white corolla; dark olive green buds, drop readily.
• Tubers: large, long, cylindrical or slightly flattened; lightly to heavily netted russetted brown skin; eyes numerous, evenly distributed, shallow, sometimes protuberant; white flesh.
• Sprouts: brownish purple.

Agricultural Features

Medium to high yielding variety, attractive appearance, washes well at maturity. Long dormancy period, stores well. Requires a uniform moisture supply and long growing season to produce maximum quality tubers and to prevent knobbiness and second growth. To produce large tubers, plants must be spaced 30 to 45 cm apart. High total solids.

• Utilization: excellent for baking and French frying, good for boiling.
• Chief Markets: fresh market, processing for French fries.

Reaction to Disease

Highly resistant: black leg.
Moderately resistant: common scab, fusarium dry rot (Fusarium oxysporum and F. sambucinum).
Susceptible: fusarium dry rot (F. coeruleum), late blight, leaf roll, seed-piece decay, tuber net necrosis, verticillium wilt, PVX, PVY.

References: 1, 6, 9.

Send your comments to cfia.potatosection-sectiondespommesdeterre.acia@inspection.gc.ca regarding potato variety descriptions.