PORTAGE - A NEW EARLY-MATURING, ROUND WHITE TABLE POTATO VARIETY

The Portage potato variety is high-yielding and early-maturing with attractive, round to oblong, white-skinned, white-fleshed tubers with medium-shallow eyes, Its major use is expected to be as an early tablestock variety in areas where Superior suffers yield reductions caused by verticillium wilt. Portage tubers do not show the net necrosis caused by potato leafroll virus, and are susceptible to skinning, but are fairly resistant to hollow heart, blackspot and shatter bruise, Portage is moderately resistant to Verticillium albo-atrum, and Rhizoctonia solani, but its seed-pieces are sensitive to dry soil conditions; therefore, cut seed should be suberized before planting, Symptoms of leafroll virus infection are difficult to recognize.