ATLANTIC
Characteristics | Management Profile | Tables

ATLANTIC: CHARACTERISTICS

Atlantic (B6987-56) was released in 1976 (Webb et al. Amer Potato J 55:141-145. 1978) jointly by the USDA-ARS, U. Florida, VPI&SU, Rutgers U., and U. Maine. Its primary use is for the processing into potato chip. Atlantic, a determinate variety, is mid-season in maturity and has a medium to large vine. Due to its high yield and high specific gravity, measures dry matter content mostly starch, it is the major chip potato variety in North America. It has an attractive appearance and is widely adaptable. Its major growing weakness is a sensitivity to environmental stress. Its major processing weakness is the accumulation of reducing sugars under long storage and its sensitivity to adverse storage conditions. Nevertheless, it remains the standard of comparison in potato chip trials.

Summary of Plant Characteristics

Purpose -- potato chips
Growth Type -- semi-indeterminate
Maturity -- medium, 100 to 110 days from planting
Dormancy -- medium
Vine -- medium, upright and open
Leaves -- large, bright, medium green and closed
Flowers -- abundant, colored pale lavender
Roots -- shallow to medium, concentrated
Tubers -- round and uniform, grades consistently 2.5 to 4 inch diameter; great for chipping; smooth, slightly netted, buff-colored skin; creamy white flesh
Eyes -- shallow and white; few but well distributed
Set -- sets in mid-hill and bulks rapidly; tubers detach easily from stolon
Specific Gravity -- high (1.085-1.100), great for chipping
Sugar -- very low at harvest, increases with storage longer than six months and at temperatures below 50F; may re-condition
Stem End Discoloration -- not a factor
External Defects -- none; resists growth cracking and secondary growths
Internal Defects -- large tubers prone to hollow heart and brown center; susceptible to heat necrosis in sandy warm soils when dry; susceptible to shatter bruise and internal brown spot bruise when handled rough
Yields -- medium to high with high proportion of US#1 grade
Disease susceptibility -- (vine) prone to late blight and medium sensitivity to early blight; black leg and leaf roll; most potato viruses, medium sensitivity to stem canker; (tuber) seed decay especially soft rot, common scab, dry rot, pink rot; medium sensitivity to tuber blight and black scurf
Disease tolerance -- (vine) PVX, golden nematode; medium to early dying; (tuber) immune to net necrosis and tolerant of pink eye
Herbicide - susceptible to metribuzin injury
Other -- moderate fertilization, close seed spacing, irrigation scheduling; competes well against weeds

Comments: Tables 2 and 3 show that:

1. Atlantic yields tend to be slightly above average in Nebraska and about average in the North Central Region.
2. Specific gravity of Atlantic is consistently significantly higher than most other chip cultivars.
3. It tends to have the same amount of black scurf as most chip cultivars in Nebraska.
4. It stays true to shape better than most chip cultivars in Nebraska.
5. In Table 3, external defects are due primarily to common scab and internal defects are primarily due to hollow heart in larger tubers.