&baker types
Best ware returns in salad
&baker types
Processing or salad, loose-flow or pre-pack baker –
whatever the market, variety choice is the first step to
selling the crop. Edward Long talks to two major buyers
and NIAB about what is new, on the up, or on the
way out for the 1999 crop
WARE markets are increasingly complex, as supermarkets divide and brand produce. Growers and packers must follow their lead to take a share of the added value.
"We are led by the supermarkets on what to grow, and they are majoring on taste and cooking quality," says Greenvale Produces Angela Billington. This means more salad and baker crops, she believes.
Originally dominated by the odd-shaped, tasty and tricky to grow Pink Fir Apple, plus old canning type Maris Peer, the salad market has moved away from Fir Apple, leaving M.Peer and a handful of newer types to satisfy the growing demand.
Salads
"The salad market has given Peer a new lease of life," says Simon Kerr of the National Institute of Agricultural Botany. "It combines high tuber numbers with an attractive appearance to give a superb sample."
Anya, Carlingford, Charlotte and Nicola, are other current salad types, which may be joined by Danish-bred Alex and Tiffany from Scottish breeder, Caithness, says NIAB. But few salad types are in trials, it notes.
Alex produces a high yield of very long oval tubers with blue eyes and white cream flesh, and the maincrop Tiffany gives a moderate yield of long oval tubers with cream flesh. Both are suitable for pre-pack as well as salad outlets.
Anya is a cross between Pink Fir Apple and Desiree, and is provisionally recommended for specialist use by NIAB. It has inherited the excellent flavour of its 100 year old parent but produces better shaped tubers. Easier to grow than Pink Fir Apple, second early maturity also means it is ready to lift a month sooner. However, markets are limited and very specialised, notes Mrs Billington.
Carlingford, bred in Northern Ireland for canning, is now recognised as a dual-purpose type for salad and pre-packing, particularly with one supermarket. A second early, it has a moderate yield of small uniform-sized white tubers with good flavour.
Charlotte is also popular with supermarkets as it combines the skin finish and eye-appeal of yellow tubers with the texture and taste needed to appeal to customers. However, this year skin-finish has caused many growers problems, with widespread common scab.
Nicola completed NIAB trials several years ago. It produces a lot of tubers per plant to give a sample of uniform attractive small potatoes with excellent cooking quality. All important quality skin finish is more easily achieved with the variety than Charlotte, says Mrs Billington.
Preferred salad varieties along with Greenvale are Charlotte, Nicola and M.Peer, but new variety Filea looks set to make inroads. "It has small white tubers with a waxy texture, and looks promising." Taste-tests were also good, and retail contracts will be sought subject to similar results next season, says Mrs Billington.
However, salad production is not an option for all farms. "Growers must have clean seed, clean land, adequate irrigation and tight agronomic control to produce good salad crops," she adds.
For pre-pack use Mr Kerr likes the look and taste of Saxon, Harmony and Vivaldi. Cosmos, an Estima cross and sister variety to Marfona, also rates highly in his opinion.
Bakers
Saxons appearance and good taste have attracted considerable supermarket attention for pre-pack, early baker, and general ware production. Despite NIAB recommendation since 1994, it is relatively new to growers and has a lot of plus points, notes Mr Kerr. High yields and a bold sample of oval tubers combine with a reasonable skin finish early in the season. Resistance to Globodera rostochiensis, blackleg, gangrene, leaf roll virus and spraing are all useful agronomic attributes. However, it is susceptible to foliage blight.
Cosmos, an early maincrop intended for general ware and pre-packing, gives high yields of long oval, light yellow tubers with medium-dry matter content. Still in trials with NIAB, it has good resistance to tuber blight, common scab, and gangrene, but is susceptible to leaf roll virus.
Early maincrop Harmony is performing well in NIAB trials as a general ware and pre-pack variety. It produces high yields of long oval, white tubers with creamy flesh, low dry matters, and a long dormancy. The Scottish-bred variety has good resistance to bruising, common scab, and gangrene.
Vivaldi is reckoned to be a good prospect for the same markets as Cosmos and Harmony by NIAB. The Dutch-bred maincrop is marketed by ZPC UK and produces moderate yields of long, yellow-fleshed and skinned oval tubers. Good resistance to leaf roll virus is offset by susceptibility to foliage blight, blackleg, and a slug damage.
Moving up from normal ware sizes, supermarkets are increasingly selling separate bakers, adds Mrs Billington. BPC research shows sales have increased by over 20% in the past two years.
"For bakers flavour is now important along with a good appearance, a nice skin finish, a decent shape, and size at 65-85mm," she says. "Currently our customers demand three core varieties, Estima, Marfona and Saxon."
Riviera looks promising for early baker production, bulking up before Marfona, without Marfonas deep set eyes. However, cooking quality is not quite as good, she notes.
Another potential early baker, Irish-bred Colleen, offers growers market flexibility, and is set to increase, she believes. "It can be sold as 35-55mm loose-flow ware, grown on to early bakers, or even used as an early processor."
As a maincrop baker, Xantia has potential, cooking well in trials this season and having good skin finish.
Besides baking, Saxon suits Greenvales pre-pack markets, along with Maris Piper and old favourite King Edward.
Salad and baker premium markets growing
Tiffany, Alex and Filea salad newcomers
Saxon, Harmony, Cosmos and Vivaldi pre-pack prospects
Marfona, Estima, and Saxon for baking
Riviera potential early baker
WAREWATCHWORDS
• Salad and baker premium markets growing
• Tiffany, Alex and Filea salad newcomers
• Saxon, Harmony, Cosmos and Vivaldi pre-pack prospects
• Marfona, Estima, and Saxon for baking
• Riviera potential early baker