Maris Piper

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Maris Piper
Four Maris Piper potatoes, one halved.jpg
Tubers of Maris Piper
Genus Solanum
Species Solanum tuberosum
Cultivar 'Maris Piper'
Breeder H.W. Howard
Origin Plant Breeding Institute, Trumpington, Cambridgeshire, Britain 1956

Maris Piper is the most widely grown potato variety in the United Kingdom accounting for 16% of the planted area in 2014. Introduced in 1966 it was one of the first potato varieties bred to be resistant to a form of potato cyst nematode, a major pest of potato production in the UK. It has been the most widely grown variety in the UK since 1980 and is suitable for a range of uses including chips, roast potatoes and mashed potatoes.

Contents

Breeding

The Maris Building in Trumpington where Maris Piper was developed Potato Town - geograph.org.uk - 916225.jpg
The Maris Building in Trumpington where Maris Piper was developed
The leaves of Maris Piper Maris Piper canopy.jpg
The leaves of Maris Piper
A side view of a crop of Maris Piper in flower Maris Piper side view.jpg
A side view of a crop of Maris Piper in flower

Attempts to find resistance to the potato cyst nematode Globodera rostochiensis in wild potatoes began in 1941, when Conrad Ellenby started testing over 60 species held in the Commonwealth Potato Collection, finding that few were resistant or suitable to breed with cultivated potatoes. In a letter to Nature in 1952, Ellenby reported that by 1948 he had found four types that were resistant and could be crossed with contemporary varieties. [1] All four were the species Solanum tuberosum andigena , and one of these, CPC 1673, was the source of nematode resistance in Maris Piper. Although resistant to PCN, the wild potato produced very small tubers in the UK climate. [2]

Led by H. W. Howard, workers at the Plant Breeding Institute in Cambridge crossed the wild potato with contemporary varieties to produce a high-yielding, resistant variety. [2] CPC 1673 was backcrossed, crossed with Ulster Knight, and then crossed with a cross of Arran Cairn and Herald. [3] Arran Cairn was bred by Donald Mackelvie, the leading Scottish potato breeder in the early 20th century, [4] and Ulster Knight was bred by John Clarke, an eminent potato breeder from Antrim. [5] [6] The final cross was made in 1956, [7] but it took another ten years for the variety to be tested and multiplied before it was recommended by the National Institute of Agricultural Botany in 1966. [8] The PBI and Howard were awarded the Queen's Award for Technology in 1982 for breeding Maris Piper. [9] [10]

The first part of the variety's name came from Maris Lane in Trumpington where the Plant Breeding Institute was located. [11] By convention, the breeder got to choose the second name, with Piper chosen arbitrarily by Howard's son, although earlier, he had proposed calling it Maris Pard. [12] [13] It should not be confused with Maris Peer, another variety of potato.

Usage

The variety was the most popular in the UK by 1980, accounting for 24 % of the British potato crop in 1982, [2] 20 % in 2005 [14] and 16 % in 2014. [15] It became popular due to both its resistance to nematodes and its pleasing taste for consumers. [16]

Maris Piper has a fluffy texture and is considered an "all-rounder" potato. [17] It is widely used to make chips (French fries) [11] due to it having high dry matter [18] and low reducing sugars. [19] As well as being sold fresh, the variety is also suitable for processing into frozen or dehydrated products. [2]

It has been recommended by chefs Heston Blumenthal and Tom Kerridge for making triple cooked chips. [20] [21] In his book Perfection, Blumenthal stated they were "in a league of their own" for making roast potatoes [22] and he also considers them the best variety for mashed potatoes. [23]

Traits

Maris Piper is one of the most susceptible potato varieties to being eaten by slugs, [24] and also the bacterial disease common scab, which causes corky lesions to form on the skin. Common scab is controlled by irrigating crops just as the potatoes begin to form, requiring "perfect timing and perfect irrigation". [25]

Maris Piper was one of the first varieties with resistance to G. rostochiensis, with the H1 gene giving complete resistance to UK strains. [26] The widespread growth of Maris Piper led to the closely related G. pallida (to which Maris Piper has no resistance) becoming the main potato cyst nematode in the UK. [27] When nematodes feed on the roots, the H1 gene results in the potato roots dying, preventing the nematodes from feeding and making it likely they die or turn into males. [28] H1 is thought to encode a protein that specifically detects the product of one nematode gene during feeding, a so-called gene-for-gene relationship. [29]

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soybean cyst nematode</span> Species of roundworm

The soybean cyst nematode (SCN), Heterodera glycines, is the most devastating pest to soybean crop yields in the U.S., targeting the roots of soybean and other legume plants. When infection is severe SCNs cause stunting, yellowing, impaired canopy development, and yield loss. The symptoms caused by SCNs can go easily unrecognized by farmers—in some cases there are no warning symptoms before a loss of 40% of the yield. Due to the slight stunting and yellowing, many farmers may mistake these symptoms as environmental problems when in fact they are SCNs. Another symptom of SCNs that may affect farmers' yields is stunted roots with fewer nitrogen-fixing nodules. Due to the fact that soybean cyst nematodes can only move a few centimeters in the soil by themselves, they mostly are spread via tillage or plant transplants. This area of infection will look patchy and nonuniform making diagnosis more difficult for farmers. They can be seen in the roots of summer soybean plants if the roots are taken out very carefully and gently washed with water. The egg masses should be seen as bright white or yellow "pearls" on the roots. The later the roots are pulled the harder it will be to diagnose due to the SCNs female dying and turning a much darker color, forming a "cyst". The best way to know if a field is infected by soybean cyst nematodes is to take a soil sample to a nematologist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Potato cyst nematode</span> Genus of roundworms that live on potato roots

Potato root nematodes or potato cyst nematodes (PCN) are 1-mm long roundworms belonging to the genus Globodera, which comprises around 12 species. They live on the roots of plants of the family Solanaceae, such as potatoes and tomatoes. PCN cause growth retardation and, at very high population densities, damage to the roots and early senescence of plants. The nematode is not indigenous to Europe but originates from the Andes. Fields are free from PCN until an introduction occurs, after which the typical patches, or hotspots, occur on the farmland. These patches can become full field infestations when unchecked. Yield reductions can average up to 60% at high population densities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kerr's Pink</span> Variety of potato

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<i>Globodera pallida</i> Species of roundworm

Globodera pallida is a species of nematode in the family Heteroderidae. It is well known as a plant pathogen, especially of potatoes. It is "one of the most economically important plant parasitic nematodes," causing major crop losses, and is a model organism used to study the biology of cyst nematodes. Its common names include potato cyst nematode, white potato cyst nematode, pale potato cyst nematode, potato root eelworm, golden nematode, and pale cyst nematode.

<i>Globodera rostochiensis</i> Species of roundworm

Globodera rostochiensis, commonly known as the golden nematode, golden eelworm or yellow potato cyst nematode, is a plant pathogenic nematode. It is a pest of plants in the family Solanaceae, primarily infesting potatoes and tomatoes, as well as a variety of other root crops.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlantic potato</span> Potato variety

The Atlantic potato is a mid-season potato variety for potato chip manufacturing. It was developed and released by USDA Agricultural Research Service scientists at Beltsville, Maryland, in 1978. The variety is not under plant variety protection. It is a progeny of a cross between 'Wauseon' and 'Lenape'. It is widely grown for chipping directly off the field or with short-term storage. Marketable yields are fairly high.

Superior is a white-skinned, white-fleshed, mid-season potato variety. It was released by the University of Wisconsin potato breeding program in 1962, and is not under plant variety protection. It is a progeny of a cross between 'B96-56' and 'M59.44' and was first grown in 1951. 'B96-56' was also a parent of Kennebec. Like the potato variety Atlantic, Superior is widely grown for potato chip manufacturing right off the field and marketable yields are fairly high.

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Marcy is a late maturing white potato variety. It was originally bred in 1990 at Cornell University from a cross between the Atlantic variety and Q155-3 variety. It is mostly used for chipping but can be used for baking and boiling. It has good storability; chip color is good even after short to medium storage. Marcy has a high yielding crop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Triple-cooked chips</span> Type of deep-fried potato

Triple-cooked chips are a type of chips developed by the English chef Heston Blumenthal. Blumenthal began work on the recipe in 1993, and eventually developed the three-stage cooking process. The chips are first simmered, then cooled and drained using a sous-vide technique or by freezing; deep fried at 130 °C (266 °F) and cooled again; and finally deep-fried again at 180 °C (356 °F). The result is what Blumenthal calls "chips with a glass-like crust and a soft, fluffy centre".

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References

  1. ↑ Ellenby, C. (1952). "Resistance to the Potato Root Eelworm, Heterodera rostochiensis Wollenweber". Nature. 170 (4337): 1016. Bibcode:1952Natur.170.1016E. doi: 10.1038/1701016a0 . ISSN   0028-0836. PMID   13013294.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Elaine Williams (1982-04-30). "Cambridge applies itself to a potato pest". The Financial Times.
  3. ↑ "Maris Piper". AHDB Potatoes. Retrieved 2017-02-15.
  4. ↑ John Marshall. "Donald McKelvie" (PDF). Arran Civic Trust. Retrieved 2017-02-15.
  5. ↑ Pádraic Óg Gallagher. "Potato Breeding in Ireland" . Retrieved 2017-02-15.
  6. ↑ "Spud Sunday: A Potato By Any Other Name". The Daily Spud. 2013-06-02. Retrieved 2017-02-15.
  7. ↑ "Breeding Maris Piper". Maris Piper Fifty. Retrieved 2017-02-15.
  8. ↑ Norbert U. Haase; A. J. Haverkort (2006). Potato Developments in a Changing Europe. Wageningen Academic Pub. pp. 36–. ISBN   978-90-8686-011-1.
  9. ↑ Joan Green (1987). The Plant Breeding Institute, 75 Years: 1912-1987. The Institute. ISBN   978-0-7084-0459-1.
  10. ↑ Plant Breeding Institute (Cambridge, England) (1980). Annual Report - Plant Breeding Institute. Plant Breeding Institute.
  11. 1 2 John Ayto (18 October 2012). The Diner's Dictionary: Word Origins of Food and Drink. OUP Oxford. pp. 221–. ISBN   978-0-19-964024-9.
  12. ↑ Angus Stevenson; Maurice Waite (18 August 2011). Concise Oxford English Dictionary: Luxury Edition. OUP Oxford. p. 874. ISBN   978-0-19-960111-0.
  13. ↑ "How Maris Piper got its name". Maris Piper Fifty. Retrieved 2017-02-15.
  14. ↑ Dick Vreugdenhil; John Bradshaw; Christiane Gebhardt; Francine Govers; Mark A. Taylor; Donald K.L. MacKerron; Heather A. Ross (31 August 2011). Potato Biology and Biotechnology: Advances and Perspectives: Advances and Perspectives. Elsevier. p. 6. ISBN   978-0-08-052505-1.
  15. ↑ David Jones (2014-09-02). "Maris Piper makes a rebound in potato plantings -". Farmers Weekly. Retrieved 2017-02-15.
  16. ↑ John M. Webster; K. Bengt Eriksson; David G. McNamara (1 January 2008). An Anecdotal History of Nematology. Pensoft Publishers. p. 111. ISBN   978-954-642-324-5.
  17. ↑ "Maris Piper Potatoes Information". Love Potatoes. Retrieved 2017-02-15.
  18. ↑ Heston Blumenthal (2006). Perfection. A&C Black. pp. 212–214. ISBN   978-0-7475-8409-4.
  19. ↑ M. Brown (24 September 2008). Chilled Foods: A Comprehensive Guide. Elsevier. pp. 32–. ISBN   978-1-84569-488-3.
  20. ↑ Heston Blumenthal (2013-11-17). "Triple-cooked chips". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on March 18, 2015. Retrieved 2017-02-15.
  21. ↑ Xanthe Clay (2011-02-11). "National chip week: Three steps to a hip chip". Telegraph. Retrieved 2017-02-15.
  22. ↑ Heston Blumenthal (2006). Perfection. A&C Black. p. 51. ISBN   978-0-7475-8409-4.
  23. ↑ Claire Wrathall (1995-08-17). "Top of the crops". The Financial Times.
  24. ↑ A. South (6 December 2012). Terrestrial Slugs: Biology, ecology and control. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 182. ISBN   978-94-011-2380-8.
  25. ↑ Heather Briggs (2015-06-01). "Optimising irrigation for potato scab control". FG Insight. Retrieved 2017-02-15.
  26. ↑ Brian Kerry; Andy Barker; Ken Evans. Investigation of potato cyst nematode control (Report). DEFRA. p. 12.
  27. ↑ "Getting to the root of a wormy problem". The Financial Times. 1995-08-17.
  28. ↑ Bakker, Erin; Achenbach, Ute; Bakker, Jeroen; van Vliet, Joke; Peleman, Johan; Segers, Bart; van der Heijden, Stefan; van der Linde, Piet; Graveland, Robert; Hutten, Ronald; van Eck, Herman; Coppoolse, Eric; van der Vossen, Edwin; Bakker, Jaap; Goverse, Aska (2004). "A high-resolution map of the H1 locus harbouring resistance to the potato cyst nematode Globodera rostochiensis". Theoretical and Applied Genetics. 109 (1): 146–152. doi:10.1007/s00122-004-1606-z. ISSN   0040-5752. PMID   14985978. S2CID   20896516.
  29. ↑ Jasmer, Douglas P.; Goverse, Aska; Smant, Geert (2003). "Parasitic nematode interactions with mammals and plants". Annual Review of Phytopathology. 41 (1): 245–270. doi:10.1146/annurev.phyto.41.052102.104023. ISSN   0066-4286. PMID   14527330.
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