Tucker Farms, Inc.
Certified Seed and Tablestock Potato Varieties
Peter Wilcox, formerly B1816-5, syn. "Purple Sun", "Blue Gold"
Parentage: B0810-1 x B0918-5 (Beltsville breeding clones)
Released: 2007, jointly by ARS, NC, NJ, PA, ME, FL, and NY
Breeder/Agency: Kathleen Haynes, USDA ARS, Beltsville, MD

Named for Peter C. Wilcox, a professor in the Spiritual and Pastoral Care Program at Loyola College in Baltimore, MD, retired 2009. Bred for its high carotenoid content and its appeal to high-end restaurant chefs and other gourmet potato markets. Evaluated for 8 years in 25 field trials prior to its release in 2007.


Production Characteristics
  • Maturity: Medium-early to mid-season
  • Emergence: Excellent, 90 to 100% in field trials
  • Yield: A bit less than Norland Dark Red. Total yield: 283 cwt/a.; marketable yield: 231 cwt/a.
  • Tuber set: May set high in the hill. Increase seed spacing to 10 - 12 inches
  • Specific Gravity: 1.076 to 1.082, considerably higher than Norland Dark Red and Chieftain
  • Diseases: Resistant to powdery scab, golden nematode. Susceptible to silver scurf, common scab, late blight, early blight, fusarium dry rot, verticillium wilt, PVY, PVS, black dot and misshapen tubers. May be susceptible to growth cracks, hollow heart, second growth, shatter bruise and internal heat necrosis.
  • Storage: long dormancy, about the same as Chieftain, i.e. about 5 months. Weight loss is about same as Superior and much less than Norland Dark Red.
  • Markets: Specialty fresh markets and boutique restaurants , though it also chips well.
  • Advantages: Good yields, attractive tubers, exceptional nutritional qualities
  • Other: Typically requires one week longer after vine killing to achieve strong skin set.
Physical Characteristics
  • Plant
    • Spreading with good canopy
    • Flowers are a dainty mauve with bright orange stamens
  • Tubers
    • Round to oblong shape, size tends to run smaller than Norland Dark Red
    • Medium purple skin color, moderately smooth to slightly netted skin (We have discovered rare tubers exhibiting half white-half purple, half red-half purple, and purple with red splashes.)
    • Medium to dark yellow flesh, purple streaks are occasionally reported
    • Shallow eyes
    • Fair to good appearance, "pretty", rated "attractive" in most field trials
Culinary Characteristics
  • Taste/flavor: "very tasty"
  • Uses: Very good fried, boiled, roasted and chipped. Baking quality scores have been good.
  • Presentation: Chipping color is good out of 50 to 55 F storage.
  • Other: Antioxidants: Carotenoid content is 15% higher than Yukon Gold with predominant carotinoids being zeaxanthin and lutein. Vitamin C: over 40% of RDA.