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| King Edward | |
|---|---|
 King Edward | |
| Genus | Solanum |
| Species | Solanum tuberosum |
| Cultivar | 'King Edward' |
| Breeder | John Butler |
| Origin | Scotter, Lincolnshire, Britain 1902 |
King Edward is a potato cultivar grown in the UK since 1902, making it one of the oldest cultivars still grown commercially.
The King Edward potato is predominantly white-skinned with pink colouration. It is mostly oval in shape, with a floury texture and shallow eyes. [1] The plant is upright and tall with numerous stems and small green leaves. Its flowers are purple with white-tipped petals.
In Redcliffe Salaman's book The History and Social Influence of the Potato first published in 1949, it was noted that parentage of King Edward was unknown. It was bred by a gardener in Northumberland who called it 'Fellside Hero' and passed into the hands of a grower in Yorkshire and in turn a potato merchant in Manchester who having no use for it passed it onto John Butler of Scotter in Lincolnshire. He in turn purchased all the seed stocks available and multiplied the variety on 50 acres of land before renaming the variety King Edward on the advice of a potato merchant. [2]
The Coronation of King Edward VII in 1902 coincided with the introduction of this cultivar of potato and its name is believed to originate as a 'commemoration' of this occasion. [3] It is claimed that the grower wrote to Buckingham Palace seeking permission to name his potato after the monarch and that a reply was received granting royal assent.
It is one of the oldest surviving cultivars in Europe. [4]
The King Edward potato is a main crop; in the UK it is traditionally planted in April for harvest in September. It is suitable to be grown both commercially and in allotments. It is very resistant to common scab and offers some resistance to potato blight but is susceptible to potato cyst nematode. [3]
The King Edward has a variety of culinary uses and is renowned for its light fluffy texture; for this reason it is particularly suitable for roasting, mashed potato or baking, although it is also suitable for sautéing, steaming, and frying as chips. It has been described by Delia Smith as being the best potato with which to make gnocchi. [5]
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Russet Burbank is a potato cultivar with dark brown skin and few eyes that is the most widely grown potato in North America. A russet type, its flesh is white, dry, and mealy, and it is good for baking, mashing, and french fries (chips). It is a common and popular potato.
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The 'Edward' mango is a named mango cultivar that originated in south Florida.
The potato was the first domesticated vegetable in the region of modern-day southern Peru and extreme northwestern Bolivia between 8000 and 5000 BCE. Cultivation of potatoes in South America may go back 10,000 years, but tubers do not preserve well in the archaeological record, making identification difficult. The earliest archaeologically verified potato tuber remains have been found at the coastal site of Ancón, dating to 2500 BC. Aside from actual remains, the potato is also found in the Peruvian archaeological record as a design influence of ceramic pottery, often in the shape of vessels. The potato has since spread around the world and has become a staple crop in most countries.
Redcliffe Nathan Salaman was a British gentleman, physician, biologist who pioneered the breeding of blight-free potatoes, Jewish nationalist, race scientist and key figure in the Anglo-Jewish community in the 20th century. His groundbreaking 1949 book The History and Social Influence of the Potato established the history of nutrients as a new literary genre.
The Plant Breeding Institute was an agricultural research organisation in Cambridge in the United Kingdom between 1912 and 1987.
James Clark, was an English market gardener and horticulturist in Christchurch, Dorset who specialised in raising new varieties of potato. His most noted success was Magnum Bonum, described by The Times as "the first real disease-resisting potato ever originated and offered to the world".
Sweet potato cultivation in Polynesia as a crop began around 1000 AD in central Polynesia. The plant became a common food across the region, especially in Hawaii, Easter Island and New Zealand, where it became a staple food. By the 1600s in central Polynesia, traditional cultivars were being replaced with hardier and larger varieties from the Americas. Many traditional cultivars are still grown across Polynesia, but they are rare and are not widely commercially grown.
