Amey Russet potato

[Tom Wagner]

I planted some disease free Amey Russets yesterday from Cornell.

I also received a 50 lb box of certified Amey Russets from a seed grower in New York State. I cooked a few to see how they would go in an potato salad. I ate a few hot with my favorite spread and salt and...Wow!....the flavor brought back memories. Even the other person in the living room was amazed with a sample taste. Tomorrow I will have some kiddos for taste comparison with the Russian Banana Fingerling and the French Fingerling to compare with.

I've got to tell you all....this potato must not be ignored. I will be planting this potato all over the state.

The flavor is still one of my all time top ten favorites when it comes to taste. I will be making again, more crosses with it this year and it will be my # 1 food item for the next year.

I have some information on the variety and note the bold print when it comes to this: Baking and taste quality of Amey are excellent

Amey Russet is bouncing around in my potato pedigree data bases.

resources.metapress.com/pdf-preview.axd?code=m5277070k6gl61q7&size=largest
Amey is a late-maturing, russet-skinned, whitefleshed potato cultivar that yields more than Russet Burbank in most eastern United States potato production areas. Tubers of Amey are mostly oblong, occasionally long, with an evenly russetted skin. Tubers of Amey are smoother, more attractive, and have a much lower incidence of external defects than Russet Burbank. The specific gravity of Amey is equal to or greater than the specific gravity of Russet Burbank. French fries produced from Amey are lighter than or equal in color to those produced from Russet Burbank; however, tubers are frequently not long enough to satisfy the french fry industry. Baking and taste quality of Amey are excellent, and it has potential as a fresh market potato. Amey is resistant to race Rol of the golden nematode, powdery scab, and common scab. It is moderately susceptible to Verticillium wilt. It is susceptible to potato leafroll virus, late blight, and early blight.

AMEY
Pedigree USDA B 6987-145 x USDA B 7805-1
USA 1999
Exp. # USDA B 9922-11

I do have a problem with the documented pedigree data. I think the russeting came from a variety with a Beltsville number similar to B 7805-1, since this clone is a white potato and not russeted. I think the possible male parent is B 7583-6 or B 7147-8 which were named after the breeding work was done with Amey prior to 1980 and I favor BelRus most and Russette as a backup. Note the numbers...

The female line of Amey is a full sib of Atlantic and the possible male parents also carry Lenape in the mix. That would account for the high gravities of Ameys.

I am including the internet info on Russette and BelRus, both of which I have grown over the last 20 some years or more. I have grown Amey for about 20 years now and Amey is 29 years old this season. Even at this advance age, I want to re-introduce this variety to anyone who will listen, read, or reason.


RUSSETTE . A cross of LENAPE x W 245-2 USA 1981 Experimental # was USDA B 7583-6

Russette is a new, late maturing, russet potato variety adapted primarily for the northeastern United States and northern Florida. Tubers are oval to oblong, smooth with a medium-russet skin, and shallow eyes. Its specific gravity is similar to those of BelRus and Russet Burbank in areas of adaptation. Glycoalkaloid content is about 11 mg/100 g fresh weight. Baking quality is excellent, flesh is white, and best color of french fries is obtained from tubers stored at or above 13°C (55°F). Its long rest period makes it amenable to storage at a relatively high temperature before a chemical sprout inhibitor is needed. Russette is immune to virus A and leaf roll-induced tuber net necrosis; highly resistant to Verticillium wilt, tuber pinkeye, and tuber heat necrosis; and has good tolerance to scab, early blight, and Rhizoctonia infection of sprouts, stolon, and roots. Losses to rots and shrinkage in storage have been minimal. Russette is not resistant to viruses X, S, Y, and leaf roll and bacterial ring rot. Russette emerges to a stand about 10 days later than most varieties, however, subsequent vine growth is rapid until tuberization begins. Large-sized tubers may develop hollow heart under a late-season regime of high nitrogen and high moisture.

BELRUS. A cross of PENOBSCOT x W 39-1. USA 1978 Known as USDA B 7147-8 befored named.
BelRus, a new russet potato variety, is medium late in maturity and adapted primarily for the Northeastern United States and northern Florida. Tubers are long, smooth and moderately flat with a heavy russet skin. Eyes are shallow and immediately adjacent skin is, for the most part, nonrussetted in the Northeastern U.S. Industry speaks of the BelRus there as the “white eyed russet.” BelRus is slightly higher in specific gravity than ‘Russet Burbank’, has a superior flavor when baked, and yields excellent french fries and flakes. Glycoalkaloid content of BelRus is quite low, being about 2 mg/100 g fresh tissue. BelRus is immune to virus A and tuber net necrosis; highly resistant to tuber heat necrosis, northern root knot nematode (Meloidogyne hapla), and the pinkeye bacterial disease; moderately resistant to scab, Verticillium wilt, leaf roll and potato virus Y. It is not resistant to either late blight or early blight, or viruses M, S, and X. Necrotic spotting of the foliage occurs following periods of high temperature and extended drought. BelRus has demonstrated high tolerance to bruising and storage rots incurred during harvest and handling. Shrinkage in bulk storage has been minimal
www.springerlink.com/content/jw002v10k2751u36/
W 39-1 is a russet developed by the late William Hoyman of Washington State. It is a parent of BelRus and a grandparent of Russette. Since I live in Washington and was a friend of Hoyman, I feel the history of Washington potato clones figured mightily.

. www.potatoresearch.com/discussion/ubb/Forum1/HTML/000025.html
A 2000 article I wrote. Nothing came of the writing since virtually no one cares about potatoes the way I do.

I repeat this story about Amey many times, but I'll repeat it again here. The USDA was going to drop B9922--11 until I mentioned that it had great flavor. Kathy Haynes agreed and...Presto.. .the variety was named. I feel like an alter persona for the Amey variety.

I have a few extra if anyone wants a sample of the variety. I could pre-cut the potatoes and treat them with lime and send them in a $4.95 postpaid package for maybe $10. The box would be one of those video mailers. I could get about 10 to 15 cuts in the box or maybe more. If you want some whole tubers to eat, I could send them in the bigger box for $15.

Since I have so few readers, I don't expect much, except for maybe some guest readers that dribble in and out over the last number of months since the forum was started.

Since I have many crosses of Amey, grand offspring, and great offspring...I will be crossing those back to Amey Russet since the inbreeding measure will be much diminished.

It is 2:30 in the morning, so I am rambling. I cannot say enough good things about Amey Russet, but there is another day for that.


Tom Wagner

[grungy]

Tom, how I wished you could send them to Canada. Are you going to try and get TPS from any of these?

[pugs]

Tom, I'll find room for them.

I'll mail you the money on Monday. If you're going to be down to Vancouver in the next few weeks or so, I can meet you and you can save the shipping costs.

Pugs

[Tom Wagner]

After a blind taste test of Amey potato salad compared with Russian Banana Fingerling and French Fingerlings, the Amey potato salad won every time with my family. Five out of five is not too shabby.

I will be crossing Amey Russet big time this year with multiple locations planted or to be planted to ensure many opportunities.

I have Amey crosses in my latest potato seedling tray to be transplanted yet this weekend. I have Amos Amey and Navamey in backcrosses of sorts. With the high level of Lenape parentage, high specific gravities are supremely dominant.

I am thinking with the wet weather and soils largely unworkable locally to make yet another trip to Clark Co. to plant more potatoes including the Amey Russet. I think I will take the second batch of potato seedlings down there to expand for eventual transplanting somewhere there too. That means if Pugs is in the area of the WSU Extension, he can pick up samples of the Amey Russet.

Because Amey could be sent tissue culture to Europe under a Phyto permit, I am going to see if I can get someone there to import the variety after my work shops there expanding on my talks to get more flavor in potatoes world-wide.

Chances are someone has already done that import. If not, I will pre-stage that event with my TPS crosses that I make this summer.

Tom Wagner

[pugs]

Tom,

Just let me know when you'll be down and I'll arrange my schedule to meet you.

Pugs

[clarkfoodfarm]

So just when are you heading back down this way, Mr. Wagner?

[lambabbeyorchards]

Tom:

I've been scouring through all of the info I can find on the internet about Amey Russet and can't find a mention anywhere regarding the dormancy of this potato. How would you rate its dormancy? Fair, Good or Excellent?

Thanks!


John

[lambabbeyorchards]

Tom:

I just discovered your reply to a post I'd made on the T'ville site where you reference that Amey Russet can be an outstanding keeper if you allow it to get a good skin set.

I guess you answered my question before I even asked it! That's impressive.


John

[Tom Wagner]

Been busy picking tomatoes, potato berries, extracting seed and otherwise not getting back to the forum.

Anyway, John G and I have conversed on the phone and posted on TVille.
I went through the maturity of Amey Russets and a bunch of other things about it and I think John is getting potatoes from the fella in New York state that grow some. Great!

Last night I had a few Ameys pre-boiled and then rolled in butter, parsley, and real bacon bits....browned a bit...salted and peppered. Served with a meat loaf made with F-2 Ananas Noir/Green Zebra cooked sauce, along with slices of fresh Faubourg tomatoes. Great food!

[grungy]

Tom, you are making me hungry. Have you been talking to Michel. He generally leaves our discussions, with me having to make a midnight snack. <lol>