Yield and tuber quality performance of eight European potato (Solanum tuberosum) cultivars in a short-day temperate climate

The potato cultivar base is quite wide in South Africa as new genotypes often are adopted from European countries. However, the performance of many cultivars is not well-understood, and this is compounded by agro-climates and changes in the climate. The aim of this study was to evaluate the yield and potato quality performance of seven recently introduced European cultivars (Panamera, Electra, Savanna, Navigator, Melanto, Sifra and Innovator) against Mondial (a well-established cultivar in the country) to inform cultivar selection decisions in the potato industry. The experiment was conducted in Pietermaritzburg, under temperate agro-climatic conditions in a randomised complete block design. Results showed significant (P <= 0.05) differences among cultivars, with Innovator having the highest dry matter content (20%) and specific gravity (1.063). Electra and Navigator had the highest and lowest yields (54 and 21 t/ha), respectively. All cultivars had a low occurrence of internal defects (<= 10%) and produced high marketable yield (>= 80%). These results suggest five out of the eight cultivars to be economical for production in the region. Only Navigator, Panamera and Savanna did not exceed the 35 t/ha yields currently achieved in the country.