Red Pontiac (Red)

Parentage – Deeper red mutant of Pontiac (Katahdin x Bliss Triumph)^1,2,3

Breeder – Released by United States Department of Agricultural (USDA) and Michigan in 1938; selection was made by J.W. Weston in Florida in 1945²; Dakota Chief is a synonym name for Red Pontiac^2,4

Maturity – Mid to late season^1,2,3

Usage – Fresh market^1,2,3,4; good for boiling, baking, and chipping^1,3,4

Plant – Large, slightly spreading foliage with thick, prominently angled stems; reddish-purple nodes with prominent, double wings^1,2

Leaves – Medium to large, moderately open, broadly ovate; terminal leaflets have blunt tips and partially squared-off bases; four pairs of primary leaflets with a reddish-purple midrib at the attachment point; numerous secondary leaflets¹

Flowers – Large, light purple pink with white tips^1,2; yellow anthers¹

Tubers – Oblong to round with smooth to netted dark red skin and medium deep eyes; white flesh^1,2,3,4; low specific gravity²; medium tuber dormancy^1,2

Strengths – High yield potential across various environment with an attractive appearance; moderately resistant to drought^1,2, black leg and tuber net necrosis¹

Weaknesses – Bruises easily^1,2 and may show knobbiness and second growth if soil moisture is not uniform during the growing season²; susceptible to air cracking at harvest, common scab, Fusarium dry rot, late blight, Verticillium wilt¹, potato leafroll virus and potato virus A, X and Y^1,3

Photos ^{1, 2, 5}

References: ¹http://www.inspection.gc.ca/plants/potatoes/potatovarieties/red–pontiac/eng/1312587385861/1312587385862   ²https://www.potatoassociation.org/?s=red+pontiac  3ALANTIC PROVINCES AGRICULTURAL SERVICES COORDINATING COMMITTEE, 2001, Potato Crop – Variety, Weed and Pest Control Guide, AGDEX 257, Canada, Internet version (PDF format), P. 13. ⁴Wonning, P. R. 2015. Gardener’s Guide to Growing Potato in the Vegetable Garden: Growing a Potato Garden for Beginners or Veterans. P. 56. ⁵Justin Bula – Northern Sand Farms

 

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Last Revised: 8/24/22

© 2019 The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System

 

This article was posted in Fact Sheet.