Agata potato facts for kids

These are "Agata" potatoes you might see in a store.

The Agata is a special type of potato that comes from the Netherlands. It's known for growing very quickly and has a bright yellow skin and yellow inside. Agata potatoes usually grow in a similar shape and size, and farmers can harvest a lot of them from their fields.

What Makes the Agata Potato Special?

The Agata potato was first created in 1976 in a place called Emmeloord in the Netherlands. Scientists developed it by crossing two other potato types, called BM 52-72 and Sirco.

Key Features of Agata Potatoes

• Shape: Agata potatoes are usually oval-shaped.
• Eyes: They have very shallow "eyes," which are the small dents where new sprouts can grow. This makes them easy to peel!
• Growing Cycle: They don't "sleep" for very long after being harvested before they are ready to sprout and grow again. This means they can be planted quite quickly.
• Water Content: Agata potatoes have a lower amount of dry matter, meaning they hold more water.
• Toughness: They are quite strong and don't get easily damaged when they are harvested or suffer from a type of rot called dry rot.

How Agata Potatoes Handle Diseases

Just like people, plants can get sick. The Agata potato has some natural defenses:

• It is quite good at resisting certain plant viruses, like spraing, Yn-virus, and Yntn-virus.
• It can also resist a tiny worm called the golden nematode (types RO 1 and 4).

However, the Agata potato can sometimes get sick from other things:

• It is more likely to get common scab and a bacteria called Erwinia.
• It is also not very resistant to other types of golden nematode (PA 2 and 3).
• It can be affected by late blight, which is a serious potato disease, especially on its leaves.
• It can also get wart disease (types 2 and 6).
• Luckily, it's not very likely to get late blight on the potato itself (the tuber) or powdery scab.