Dakota Pearl: An attractive, bright white-skinned, cold-chipping cultivar with tablestock potential

Dakota Pearl (ND2676-10) is a medium-maturing chipping cultivar with uniform, round, bright white-skinned tubers with shallow eyes. Dakota Pearl has the ability to produce commercially acceptable chips following long-term storage at 5.5 C without the need for reconditioning. It yields well under both dryland and irrigated trial conditions in North Dakota. North Central Regional Potato Variety Trial and Snack Food Association Trial results indicate it has wide adaptability. Yield and specific gravity under dryland conditions are similar to Norchip; Dakota Pearl has a low percentage of external defects. Average set is 12 to 14 tubers per hill. Dakota Pearl demonstrates wide consumer appeal as a tablestock cultivar due to attractive tuber appearance and bright-white skin. Sensory evaluation scores for baking, boiling, and microwaving are comparable to those of standard chip cvs Atlantic, NorValley, and Snowden. The specific gravity of Dakota Pearl is similar to cvs Norchip and NorValley, lower than for Atlantic or Snowden. Total glycoalkaloid levels are low, at 1.5 mg/100 g fresh tuber tissue. The North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station released Dakota Pearl on 23 April 1999.