This article appears in the May 2016 issue of Potato Grower.
This month, the Smorgasbord takes a look at Manistee, a chip processing variety developed by Michigan State University and the MSU AgBioResearch. Manistee grows attractive round tubers with shallow eyes and has performed well in short- and long-term storage. Many thanks to David Douches and Joseph Coombs at Michigan State for sharing this information on Manistee.
Parentage
Morphological Characteristics
- Full-sized vine, semi-erect with balance between stems and foliage visible
- Round tubers with lightly netted, tan-colored skin
- Creamy white flesh with low incidence of internal defects
Agronomic Characteristics
- Medium- to early-season maturity similar to Atlantic
- Above average yield
- Specific gravity equivalent to Snowden in Michigan
- No specific disease resistance
- Similar or better black spot bruise tolerance than Snowden
Storage Characteristics
- Excellent chip processing quality from short- through long-term storage
- Medium dormancy comparable to Atlantic