Idaho reports variable Burbank quality

Idaho potato industry sources say a growing season marked by sudden shifts from extreme heat to unseasonable cold has resulted in variable quality in the state’s Russet Burbank crop. “They’re great size but a little rough,” Aberdeen grower Ritchey Toevs said of his Burbanks, which tend to be more sensitive to the weather than other popular varieties. Toevs said he’s seen some growth cracks, rough skin and odd shapes in Burbanks thus far in his harvest. However, his spuds have ideal weight for making fries and he’s had no problems with high sugar accumulation by stem ends. Toevs believes record heat in late June caused plants to drop many baby tubers, leading some of the remaining tubers to grow too quickly. More