Alturas potato facts for kids

Alturas is a special type of potato known as a "russet" potato. This means it has a brownish, slightly rough skin. It was first introduced in 2002 by scientists from the USDA-ARS (United States Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Research Service) and farming research stations in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington.

Alturas potatoes are great for making French fries and other frozen potato products. They are special because they don't get sweet when stored in the cold. This means they can go straight from storage to the factory without extra steps!

What Alturas Potatoes Look Like

• Skin and Shape: Alturas potatoes have light brown, slightly rough skin. They are usually oval or a bit longer, like an oblong shape.
• Inside the Potato: The inside of an Alturas potato is white. It has "eyes" that are not very deep, which makes them easier to peel.
• Plant Features: The sprouts that grow from the potato are green. The plant itself grows quite large and open, like a big green umbrella. It's a "late-maturing" variety, meaning it takes longer to grow before it's ready to harvest.
• Stems and Flowers: The stems of the Alturas potato plant are green. Sometimes they have a little bit of purple color, called anthocyanin pigmentation. The plant produces white flowers with yellow parts called anthers. Each plant can have one to eight groups of flowers.

How Alturas Potatoes Grow

• Better Harvests: Farmers often get more potatoes (higher yields) from Alturas plants compared to other types like Russet Burbank. These potatoes also have a higher "specific gravity," which means they are denser and have more solid potato content. This is good for making crispy fries!
• Strong and Healthy: Alturas potatoes are good at fighting off some common potato diseases. They are resistant to Verticillium wilt and early blight. They are also better than Russet Burbank at resisting Corky ringspot, late blight, and a problem called tuber net necrosis (which is caused by a virus). They can also resist Fusarium dry rot and common scab.
• Things to Watch Out For: While Alturas potatoes are strong against many diseases, they can still get sick from some others. They are susceptible to Potato virus X, Potato virus Y, bacterial soft rot, root-knot nematode, and bacterial ring rot. Farmers need to be careful about these issues.