Chieftain

Chieftain is a red-skinned, white-fleshed mid season potato bred in Iowa in 1957. It has wide adaptability to different growing conditions and has good yield potential.

Chieftain potatoes - single plant yield, 2012, Victoria, British Columbia

Chieftain potatoes – single plant yield, 2012, Victoria, British Columbia

GENERAL

Maturity: mid-season

Skin colour: Red

Flesh colour: White

Tuber Shape: oval to oblong

Origin and Breeding: Bred by A.E. Kehr from (la1027-18 x La1354) and selected by the Department of Horticulture, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, in 1957.

Year registered in Canada:1973

AGRICULTURAL FEATURES

High yielding variety, attractive appearance, widely adapted. Under-sizing can be a problem if soil moisture becomes limiting. Well suited for washing at maturity. Good storability. Medium specific gravity.

Yield: High

Dormancy:

Storability:Good

Utilization: Good for boiling, chipping at harvest, french fries

Environmental Stress:

DISEASE AND INSECT SUSCEPTIBILITY

 

Moderately resistant:

late blight, common scab, rhizoctonia, silver scurf, stem-end browning, tuber net necrosis, verticillium wilt.

Moderately susceptible:

Susceptible: black leg, fusarium dry rot, leaf roll, phoma rot, PVX and PVY.

NOTES:
SOURCES:

http://www.inspection.gc.ca/plants/potatoes/potato-varieties/chieftain/eng/1312587385685/1312587385686

CROP-CLIMATE PROJECT PERFORMANCE SUMMARY

Chieftain is a standard, widely grown variety, grown in the Crop-Climate Project to compare with growth of lesser known varieties.

2013

  • Chieftain was a mid-season potato in Saanich BC 2013.  At 116 days from planting to die-back, it was very similar to Siberian, slower than Irish Cobbler and Sieglinde, and quicker to mature than Ozette.

 

Growth and Development of 5 potatoes grown in Saanich, BC 2013.

Growth and Development of 5 potatoes grown in Saanich, BC 2013.

2012

  • Chieftain yielded well at Victoria (.9 kg/plant), Caledon (.92 kg/plant), Gananoque (.73 kg/plant) and Tompkins (“moderate yield”).
  • Chieftain suffered from leaf curl in Gananoque, but not in the other locations. This may have been the result of the combination of heat stress, high humidity and drought.