Pascal

Potato

Variety Description

Variety used for comparison: 'Red Pontiac'

Summary: The lightsprout of 'Pascal' is spherical in shape whereas it is ovoid for 'Red Pontiac'. The tip of the lightsprout of 'Pascal' has sparse pubescence whereas the tip of the lightsprout of 'Red Pontiac' has dense pubescence. The plant of 'Pascal' is taller than that of 'Red Pontiac'. The extent of anthocyanin colouration of the stem is high for 'Pascal' whereas the extent is low for 'Red Pontiac'. The anthocyanin colouration on the midrib of the upper side of the leaf is of high to very high extent and strong to very strong intensity for 'Pascal' whereas the anthocyanin colouration is of low extent and weak to medium intensity for 'Red Pontiac'. The leaflet from the second pair of lateral leaflets of 'Pascal' is narrower than it is long whereas the leaflet from the second pair of lateral leaflets of 'Red Pontiac' is as broad as it is long. The frequency of coalescence of the terminal and lateral leaflets of 'Pascal' is low whereas the frequency is absent or very low for 'Red Pontiac'. At the apical rosette, the leaflet blade of 'Pascal' is pubescent whereas the leaflet blade of 'Red Pontiac' is glabrous. The anthocyanin colouration of the inner side of the corolla of 'Pascal' is of high to very high extent and strong intensity whereas the anthocyanin colouration of the inner side of the corolla of 'Red Pontiac' is of medium extent and medium intensity. The tuber of 'Pascal' has shallow eyes and cream coloured flesh whereas the tuber of 'Red Pontiac' has deep eyes and white flesh.

Description:

LIGHTSPROUT: medium size, spherical shape, medium number of root tips, short lateral shoots
LIGHTSPROUT BASE: strong intensity of anthocyanin colouration, absent or low proportion of blue in anthocyanin colouration, medium density of pubescence
LIGHTSPROUT TIP: small in relation to base, closed habit, weak to medium intensity of anthocyanin colouration, sparse pubescence

PLANT: foliage structure is stem type to intermediate between stem and leaf types where foliage is open to half open and stems are clearly to partly visible, semi-upright growth habit, matures mid-season

STEM: high extent of anthocyanin colouration along entire stem

LEAF: outline is medium to large, open, dark green on upper side, high to very high extent and strong to very strong intensity of anthocyanin colouration on midrib of upper side, weak presence of secondary leaflets, low frequency of coalescence of terminal and lateral leaflets
SECOND PAIR OF LATERAL LEAFLETS: medium size, leaflet is narrower than long
LEAFLET: medium to strong waviness of margin, medium depth of veins, dull upper side, pubescent blade at apical rosette

INFLORESCENCE: low to medium frequency per plant, small
PEDUNCLE: high extent of anthocyanin colouration
FLOWER BUD: high extent of anthocyanin colouration
COROLLA: medium size, high to very high extent and strong intensity of anthocyanin colouration on inner side, absent or low proportion of blue in anthocyanin colouration on inner side

TUBER: short oval shape, cream flesh
TUBER EYE: shallow depth, red at base
TUBER SKIN: red

Origin & Breeding History: The variety 'Pascal' originated from a cross made in 1999 between 'Symfonia' as the female parent and 'Fontenot' as the male parent at HZPC Research and Development Centre in Metslawier, The Netherlands. The variety was selected from the F1 progeny in 2001. Selection criteria included internal and external quality, yield and resistance against different diseases and pests. The testing was conducted in The Netherlands and at different locations abroad.

Tests & Trials: The comparative trial for 'Pascal' was conducted during the growing season of 2014 in Drummond, New Brunswick. The trial consisted of a single row with 60 plants spaced 0.3 metres apart for each variety. The distance between rows within the trial was 0.9 metres. Observations and measurements were taken from 10 plants of each variety. Mean differences were significant at the 5% probability level based on a paired Student's t-test.

Comparison table for 'Pascal' with reference variety 'Red Pontiac'

Plant height (cm)

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Potato: 'Pascal' (left) with reference variety 'Red Pontiac' (right)