AC Sunbury: A new light yellow-fleshed medium early table potato cultivar with resistance to golden cyst nematode

American Journal of Potato Research, Nov/Dec 2002 by Murphy, Agnes, Tarn, Richard, De Jong, Henry, Arsenault, Walter, Tai, George C C

Yield

In Early Regional Trials in the Maritime provinces harvested at about 80 days, AC Sunbury produced a marketable yield of approximately 97% of Jemseg and 101% of Superior (Table 2). AC Sunbury has performed well at several locations in Quebec. In Early Regional Trials in Quebec at several sites (12 location years) from 1988 to 1990, AC Sunbury ranked third out of 11 for yield, first in yield of dry matter per ha and first in culinary quality. Other entries in these trials included the cultivars Atlantic, Conestoga, Jemseg, Norland, and Superior. (Conseil des productions vegetales de Quebec 1990). In early table stock trials conducted by the New Brunswick Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the New Brunswick Potato Agency in 1998 and 1999, AC Sunbury yields were comparable to the checks (Moore 1998, 1999). AC Sunbury responded positively to green sprouting in a trial conducted in NB in 2001. Emergence, average weight of tubers and yield were increased in the green-sprouted treatments at 63, 73, and 89 DAP (unpublished data).

AC Sunbury has also been evaluated in a maincrop trial in the Atlantic provinces at four locations in 1987 (Table 3). In these trials, AC Sunbury produced a mean marketable yield 80% that of Kennebec.

Specific Gravity and Cooking Quality

In Early Regional Trials in the Maritime provinces, the mean specific gravity of AC Sunbury was higher than either Jemseg or Superior (Table 4). In these trials, samples for boiling quality are only taken from the Jemseg location. AC Sunbury has produced a slightly higher mean boil score than either Jemseg or Superior at that location.(Table 2). In the 1990 trial, and in other unpublished data, the relatively mealy bake quality of AC Sunbury harvested from early trials has received excellent ratings from sensory evaluation panels.

In the 1987 Maincrop Regional Trial, AC Sunbury achieved mean boil and bake scores of 79 and 84, respectively (Table 3). The scores for Kennebec in the same trial were 79 and 80, respectively. It can be concluded that AC Sunbury has good boiling and excellent baking qualities either when harvested early or at 120 days.

The total glycoalkaloid (TGA) tests of the 1989, 1990, and 1992 crops provide a mean for AC Sunbury of 7.4 mg/100 g FW compared with 6.6 for Superior (2 yrs) and 13.7 for Kennebec. The TGA value obtained from AC Sunbury tubers harvested in late July 1989 was 6.80 mg/100 g FW.

Seed Sources

AC Sunbury is available as in vitro plantlets from the New Brunswick Plant Propagation Centre, Fredericton and is being multiplied at the Bon Accord Elite Seed Potato Centre, New Brunswick. For breeding and research purposes, AC Sunbury is available from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Potato Research Centre, Fredericton, NB, E3B 4Z7.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors gratefully acknowledge the contributions of Dr. R. H. Bagnall, AAFC, Fredericton (retired), for the screening for field resistance to PVY and PLRV; Dr. B. B. Brodie, USDA/ARS/Cornell University, for the screening for resistance to the potato cyst nematode; Dr. D. L. Corsini USDA/ARS/University of Idaho, for the screening of V dah/iae, early blight and common scab; Dr. R. King, AAFC, Fredericton, for the determination of glycoalkaloids; Dr. A. R. McKenzie, AAFC, Fredericton (retired) for BRR evaluation; Dr. H. Platt, AAFC, Charlottetown for the field screening of late blight resistance; Dr. P. Turcotte, Centre de recherche, Les Buissons for trial data from Quebec; Mr. S. Wood, CRA, St. John's for screening for wart reaction; Ms. Lynn Moore, NB Aquaculture, Fisheries and Agriculture for trial data and extension assistance; Ms. D. Wilson, Ms. C. Murray, Ms. T. Dalton, Ms. V. Burns, and Ms. J. Embleton for various aspects of the development work. The contributions of the staff in the AAFC Fredericton greenhouses and fields as well as that of Mr. R. Horsman and staff at the Benton Ridge Potato Breeding Substation are very much appreciated. The review by Dr. D. DeKoeyer is gratefully acknowledged. The authors wish to thank Ms. S. LaForest and Ms. M. Ingraham for stenography.