Champion (potato)

Champion is a potato variety bred by John Nicoll in Scotland and widely grown in Ireland during the latter half of the 19th century. The tuber is round, with white skin and yellow flesh. The texture is described as "floury".^[1]

History

During the late 19th century, the Champion dominated the Irish potato industry, due largely to its resistance to the blight strain prominent during the 1879 epidemic. The variety grew from a planting of 220,934 acres (27 percent of the total Irish potato crop) in 1880 to a planting of 717,000 acres (80 percent of the crop) in 1894. After 1894, other varieties, including Kerr's Pink and Arran Banner, came to prominence, and the Champion declined in importance.^[2]

References

Potato cultivars
List of potato cultivars
Adirondack Blue Adirondack Red Agata Almond Alturas Amandine Amflora Anya Atlantic Austrian Crescent Bamberg Belle de Fontenay Bintje Black Champion Bloomer British Queen Butte Champion Désirée Gala Golden Wonder Home Guard International Kidney Irish Lumper Irish White Kennebec Kerr's Pink King Edward Laura Lenape Marcy Marfona Megachip Melody Mizen Pike Pink Fir Apple Ranger Russet Ratte Red Gold Red La Soda Red Norland Red Pontiac Rooster Russet Burbank Shetland Black Skerry Champion Stobrawa Superior Ulster Emblem Umatilla Russet Villetta Rose Vitelotte Vivaldi Yellow Finn Yukon Gold
Creamer potato Fingerling potato Russet potato