MAINECHIP - A NEW CHIPPING POTATO VARIETY FOR COOL STORAGE PROCESSING

The MaineChip potato variety is medium-maturing and has round, white-s kinned, white-fleshed tubers with shallow eyes, high specific gravity and moderate yields. Its major use is expected to be as a storage chip ping variety since sugar build-up in storage is slow, and reconditioni ng is possible. This variety can be chipped directly from 7 C storage. MaineChip does not show the net necrosis caused by potato leafroll vi rus and is moderately tolerant to verticillium wilt (Verticillium albo -atrum) and rhizoctonia (Rhizoctonia solani). It is also moderately re sistant to blackspot and shatter bruise. Hollow heart is its major int ernal quality defect, being a problem in ten of the twenty-nine region al tests conducted over five years.