Potato Kifli
Thompson & Morgan have announced the availability of another blight resistant potato – Kifli– created by cross breeding with the fantastic Sarpo strain of blight resistant potatoes.
T&M say that:
Sarpo Kifli potatoes have a truly outstanding flavour. Best planted early as it can be a slow starter, Kifli shows the usual good Sarpo resistance to drought and blight, as well as a high resistance to virus Yo.
It’s an early maincrop variety with elongated white-skinned tubers and a fabulous ‘new potato’ flavour, Kifli can be harvested over a long period – the larger and more mature tubers will still have excellent flavour.
Although blight can be controlled by pro-active application of chemical sprays, none of us relish the idea of eating chemical residue with our chips. Just salt and vinegar, thank you!
Breeding blight and other disease resistant potatoes means that the organic gardener can have a successful crop even when we have an awful wet summer with ideal blight conditions (Smith periods)
There are serious benefits to the economy as well from developing these disease resistant varieties. Farmers can escape the necessity of constant spraying to ensure a crop. I’ve heard of farmers needing to spray potatoes over 20 times in a season to save the crop from blight, which costs a lot of money. So healthier and cheaper food thanks to the breeder’s art.
More Potato Information:
Sarpo Potatoes (Savari Research Trust)
Leave a Comment Here on New Blight Resistant Potato Kifli