Gala is an early-ripening firm-fleshed edible

potato The potato () is a starchy tuberous vegetable native to the Americas that is consumed as a staple food in many parts of the world. Potatoes are underground stem tubers of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'', a perennial in the nightshade famil ...

, for which good eating and keeping qualities are claimed. It was developed by the Groß Lüsewitz-based plant breeder Norika. In 2010, it was chosen as

Thuringia Thuringia (; officially the Free State of Thuringia, ) is one of Germany, Germany's 16 States of Germany, states. With 2.1 million people, it is 12th-largest by population, and with 16,171 square kilometers, it is 11th-largest in area. Er ...

's potato of the yearOTZ.de Thüringer Kartoffel des Jahres 2010
/ref> in a public contest to which nearly 1000 consumers contributed, and in which '' Laura'' was second place.

Tuber properties

The potato has typically a roughly oval form with shallow eyes which makes it particularly suitable for mechanical peeling. Its yield per plant is relatively high, but a good water supply is vital. When cooked, the tuber suffers from only very minor discolouring. The variety has a bright yellow skin colour and a medium yellow flesh colour. It also has a very long dormancy period and it normally produced for the fresh market.

Resistances

This variety is heat and drought resistant, as well as resistant to

potato cyst nematode 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 c ...

. It is also resistant to

Pallida This list of Latin and Greek words commonly used in systematic names is intended to help those unfamiliar with classical languages to understand and remember the scientific names of organisms. The binomial nomenclature used for animals and plants ...

types 2 and 3. It has good resistance to foliar and soil-borne diseases and it also has good scab and blackleg resistance.

Planting

Planting, using chitted seed potatoes, can be done at a depth some 2 cm deeper than normal since the plants are compact and easily lifted. To support irrigation requirements and nutritional qualities, ''Gala'' is also suitable for cultivation in relatively light soils. A protective dressing to counter ''

Rhizoctonia ''Rhizoctonia'' is a genus of fungi in the family Ceratobasidiaceae. Species form thin, effused, corticioid basidiocarps (fruit bodies), but are most frequently found in their sterile, anamorph state. ''Rhizoctonia'' species are saprotrophic, ...

'' is recommended.

External links

Amt für Ernährung, Landwirtschaft und Forsten Augsburg Fachzentrum Pflanzenbau

References

{{Potato cultivars Potato cultivars