38 POTATO GROWER | NOVEMBER 2019
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LaBELLE
RUSSETT
LaBELLE
RUSSETT
L
a Belle Russet is an early- to medium-maturing variety with
good early-season yields of oblong-long, medium-russeted
tubers with a long tuber dormancy comparable to that of
Russet Burbank. It is notable for its production of attractive
tubers produced in varied growing environments a
cross North America, resulting in a
high percentage
of marketable yield.
Check www.pvmi.org
for a full list of
seed growers.
HISTORY
• Parentage: A99031-1TE × A96013-2
• Developed by Tri-State Breeding and
Research Program; released in 2019
• PVP applied for in 2019
STRENGTHS
• Good resistance to growth cracks
• Resistant to second growth and
hollow heart
• Moderate reistance to shatter and
blackspot bruise
• Maintains acceptable reducing sugar
concentrations and fry quality up to
nine months after harvest
• Long tuber dormancy
MANAGEMENT
• 190 to 210 pounds of nitrogen per acre
for a 400-hundredweigh-per-acre yield
• Soil moisture should be maintained
between 65 and 80 percent ASM
• Standard harvest practices to reduce the
potential for shatter and blackspot
bruise.
STORAGE
• Long tuber dormancy: 160 days at 45
degrees Fahrenheit and 145 days at
48 degrees
• Cure at 55 degrees, then ramp to storage
temperature
• Mild to moderate mottling
• Moderately susceptible to dry rot
DISEASE RESPONSE
• Moderate resistance to tuber
necrosis associated with potato
mop-top virus
• Greater susceptibility
to potato leafroll virus
and dry rot than
Russet Norkotah