Skip to main content
ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Genetic Improvement for Fruits & Vegetables Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #341201
Title: University of Florida potato variety trials spotlight: 'Harley Blackwell'

Author
item MWATUWA, RODRICK - University Of Florida
item CHRISTENSEN, CHRISTIAN - University Of Florida
item SOLANO, PAM - University Of Florida
item Haynes, Kathleen
item ZOTARELLI, LINCOLN - University Of Florida

Submitted to: Extension Digital Information Source (EDIS)
Publication Type: Experiment Station
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/14/2017
Publication Date: 7/18/2017
Citation: Mwatuwa, R.Z., Christensen, C., Solano, P., Haynes, K.G., Zotarelli, L. 2017. University of Florida potato variety trials spotlight: 'Harley Blackwell'. Extension Digital Information Source (EDIS). HS1298.

Interpretive Summary: The potato variety ‘Harley Blackwell’ was released in 2000 by ARS and university cooperators in the eastern U.S. as a chip processing variety with resistance to internal heat necrosis. This extension publication for potato growers in Florida summarizes general characteristics of the variety, reactions to common diseases in Florida, and provides recommendations on fertilization and spacing practices for growing ‘Harley Blackwell’ . This information will benefit potato growers in Florida looking for an alternative chip processing variety to ‘Atlantic’ which is highly susceptible to internal heat necrosis.

Technical Abstract: ‘Harley Blackwell’ is a potato variety that is commonly grown for the potato chip market. It was selected from the progeny of a cross between B0155-24 and B9935-8, and tested under the pedigree B0564-8. It was released and named jointly by the Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, the Agricultural Research Service of North Carolina, Agricultural Experiment Stations of Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Florida, and New York, and the Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station in 2000. Tuber production and quality results provided in this spotlight are summarized from various variety trials conducted at the University of Florida, Hastings Agricultural Extension Center between 1998 and 2016. ‘Harley Blackwell’ tubers are mostly round with a white flesh color (Fig. 1). According to Florida’s rating codes for potato tuber characteristics (Table 1), the tubers have a good appearance with buff skin color, netted skin texture and intermediate to shallow eye depth (Table 3). ‘Harley Blackwell’ demonstrates high yield potential under Florida production conditions (Tables 2 and 3). On average, marketable yield is 274 cwt/acre with 83% of the tubers produced found between A1 and A3 tuber size classification, with low incidence of internal defects like internal heat necrosis. The variety has a medium to high specific gravity of 1.074 (Table 2). ‘Harley Blackwell’ is resistant to race A of the golden nematode (Globodera rostochiensis) and internal heat necrosis. It is susceptible to Verticillium wilt (Verticillium albo-atrum and Verticillium dahliae) and late blight (Phytophthora infestans). It is moderately susceptible to early blight (Alternaria solani), with intermediate resistance to common scab (Streptomyces scabies), and some tolerance to powdery scab (Spongospora subterranea f. sp. subterranea). A standard UF Extension-recommended disease and weed control program described under Potato Production (chapter 13 of the Vegetable Production Handbook for Florida) should be followed. ‘Harley Blackwell’ is an early to medium maturing variety. Season length was 101 days on average from planting to harvest. This depended on weather conditions during the growing season. Late in the season tuber size should be closely monitored to harvest tubers with marketable size. Soil moisture should be managed late in the season to avoid high soil moisture conditions that cause enlarged lenticels, which are sites of entry for decay organisms.