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68 POTATO GROWER | JANUARY 2016 T his month in "The Smorgasbord," we'll take a look at the Yukon Gem, which is being dubbed as simply "a better yellow." Yukon Gem is an excellent variety for the organic market and is already grown in several production areas on the Eastern Seaboard as an alternative to Yukon Gold. Thank you to Jeanne Debons and Rich Novy with the Potato Variety Management Institute for providing this information. Yukon Gem Yukon Gem KEY ATTRIBUTES • Higher yields than Yukon Gold • Resistances to tuber and foliar late blight, potato virus Y and pink rot; moderately resistant to scab • Excellent culinary qualities for fresh, chips and fries • Stores similarly to Yukon Gold HISTORY • Developed by the Tri-State Breeding and Research Program, released in 2006 • PVP-issued in 2007 • Parentage: Yukon Gold and Brodick, a disease-resistant Scottish variety MANAGEMENT • In Idaho trials, 240 pounds of nitrogen applied per acre resulted in the best U.S. No.1 yield response, with a 500-hundredweight-per-acre yield potential. Yukon Gem requires about 10 percent less nitrogen than Russet Burbank per unit of yield produced. Excessive nitrogen can lower yield and quality, prolong maturation, and lower specific gravity. • Available soil moisture should be maintained between of 65 and 80 percent for optimal yield and quality. • Metribuzin resistance for Yukon Gem is good at normal application rates. PRODUCTION • 1,103 acres in 2015 S M O R GA S B OR D THE S M O R GA S B OR D