One Story of a Potato Hybrid

[Tom Wagner]

In my attempt to create new types of potatoes, I stumble upon crosses that I make that stir my imagination in many ways. When I dug my variety that I call NAVAMEY, I was impressed with the vine and the natural production of many potato berries that are likely selfed with an occasional out cross. The potato vine is a breeder’s dream, a round russet with yellow flesh with just the right size plant, maturity, and yield.

Looking at the cross extracted today between NAVAMEY and LUMPER, I was struck by the memory of the pedigree background coming full circle; namely the Irish connection. Since the weather here in the PNW is much like where my grandfather Joe Kaighin lived until he was 21 near the Irish Sea on the Isle of Man, I was hoping to get some more germplasm that would complement my endeavor of keeping his potato growing spirit alive.

The LUMPER did very well this year in one or more patches; good yields and good flavors. Since I am the only one doing breeding work with this two hundred year old potato variety, the progeny of my breeding work may some day be released to the public.

The LUMPER is uniquely suited to organic production and does well in a broad range of soil types. Breeding away from its Irish Famine history of Late Blight susceptibility, I hope I can re-acquaint people with better selections of this heritage potato!

I make painstaking trouble to record my breeding work. As follows is a breakdown of the pedigree.



F-1 of NAVAMEY X LUMPER
WASHINGTON 2008 TPS only




NAVAN
Pedigree: S 62-47-1 x MARIS PIPER
Great Brittain 1987
Exp. # L 2651/2088
NORTHERN IRELAND PLANT BREEDING STATION

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

GOLD PAN
Pedigree BLACK HILLS GOLD X PLACER GOLD
CALIFORNIA 1995 (TATER MATER SEEDS)

GOLDEN AMEY
Pedigree AMEY X GOLD PAN
California 1999 (TATER MATER SEEDS)

NAVAMEY
Pedigree NAVAN X GOLDEN AMEY
WASHINGTON 2006 (TATER MATER SEEDS)

LUMPER
Pedigree UKN
Scotland to Munster (SW Ireland) 1810 or before

Tom Wagner aka Tater Mater

[grungy]

Any chance for seeds of Navan or Lumper?

[Tom Wagner]

I'll have lots of Lumpers extracted later this summer, along with seed from the last 4 years too. Navan TSP? I will have to look into the previous couple of years. This is not the time of year I go through my seed lots, not with all the picking, digging and extraction going on. I spend too much time typing for various forums and my blog.

Gave away colorful displays of tomatoes recently, and I am in full show and tell mode.

Tom Wagner

[grungy]

No rush Tom was just curious whether or not there was a possibility, which you have satisfied. Will ask again this winter.
Cheers,
Val / grungy

[canadamike]

I have 3 or 4 hils of Lumpers, Grungy, I can send you some, they seem do be going well.....

[canadamike]

Here is a list I published at Tomodori. If you want something from it, just say so...




Clones from Tom Wagner: 177
Clones from Russia ( Craonne): 5
Rang= ROW

TATERS FROM CANADIAN GENBANK:

Rang 1) HAÏDA, ROSE GOLD, ALL RED
Rang 2) AC TEMAGAMI, GOLD COIN, COLUMBIA RUSSET
Rang 3) MYATT'S ASHLEY, AC RUBY GOLD, GARNET CHILI, Rang 3 fin) ANGELINA MAHONEY'S BLUE
Rang 4) CHIEFTAIN, BANANA
Rang 5) KENNEBEC
Rang 6 ) HURON, ÉPICURE, PURPLE VIKING, LA VEINE ROSE Rang 6 fin ) LUMPERS
Rang 7) BEAUTY OF HEBRON, THE CUP
Rang 8 ) BLISS TRIUMPH, SIBERIAN
Rang 9 ) CROTTE D'OURS, CHEROKEE
Rang 10 ) WHITE RURAL NEW YORKER, UP TO DATE
Rang 11 ) GERMAN BUTTERBALL, CAIN'S IRISH ROCK
Rang 12 ) GERMAN BUTTERBALL, EARLY ROSE

[Jim Cromarty]

I would like to try to cross 2 tatties but don't know how to do it. Can you help with advice please?

Best wishes

Jim

[Tom Wagner]

Jim, thanks for being a guest on the Tatermater forum.

Last time I heard tattie was when I was in Wales and heard a Scotsman talk and potato sounded more like po-tah-to rather than my way of saying po-tay-to and tattie sounded more like the tah sound that one would hear in Patty as a Scotsman would say it. So, pardon my presumption….are your from Scotland or does Cromarty just indicate one more Dalraidan distinction?

Wait a minute! I say puh-tay-tuh...my forum should be TaytuhMaytuh, my vowel shift is all over the place depending on what ethnic, cultural, regional accent or warbling of trills, runs, or other melodic embellishments is bouncing around my head.

Good thing I am not taking the time to explain how to cross potatoes, huh? For now anyway.


: tat•tie
Pronunciation: \ˈta-tē (sounds like Patty)
Function: noun
Etymology: by shortening & alteration
Date: 1788
Scottish : potato

tatty
"tangled or matted" (of hair), Scottish, probably related to O.E. tættec "a rag"

Tends to make one re-consider if digging potatoes in Scotland was a tangled and matted mess or was it because tatties were served with haggis? By all means, celebrate it like every good Scot with Haggis accompanied with Tatties and Neeps.

varieties.potato.org.uk/index_images.php%20?page_no=1
The link above should show many varieties of potatoes that are in the UK. Good photos of the sprouts, leaves, floweres and tubers will aid you in finding the ones you may wish to cross. However, Granola and Vekaro would be among the best for good berry production and they are not on that list…alas! Oh, wait a second again....Desiree is available most places in the world and its pollen is good enought to be a male parent. Just look at the photo of the Desiree flowers and you will just barely see the dark pore holes on the tips of the anthers, indicating that pollen is ready to shed. Still not gonna tell you how to cross...

If you can find some Agria potatoes you won’t have to emasculate them…the anthers just don’t have the stuff to make pollen…therefore you can take pollen from Granola and presto ….berries happen. Good type of cross too….got to make it myself for yellow fleshed potatoes with some really good flavors.

Do me a favor and cross Harlequin back to Charlotte or Pink Fir Apple or Rose Finn Apple as we have in the States. I will do this cross with my one Harlequin tuber. Most of the time the PFA or RFA do not set a lot of berries, therefore if Harlequin has good pollen I will use it as the male parent.

I will have to cross Harlequin with my French Fingerling x Magic Molly seedlings this year or next...hmmmm.

Tom Wagner

[Jim Cromarty]

Yes Tom, I am from Orkney actually - islands off the north of Scotland! I will have a look at the website and see if there's anything I can do about hybriding "tatties".