Twister potatoes are a second early, yellow table variety that Agrico describes as suited to conventional and organic growing, with a good yield and resistance to foliage and tuber blight. We grow it in Żuławy as one of our four table varieties, alongside Bella Rosa, Joline and Gala, and supply it wholesale to the fresh market. Below we pull together what a packhouse buyer can use from the breeder's sheet, and show how we lift, sort and pack Twister.
Twister potatoes on the breeder's sheet
We take the numbers on the variety straight from the breeder's sheet, not from seed potato sellers' descriptions. According to Agrico UK the tubers are round-oval, with yellow skin and yellow flesh. We have gathered the key scores in a table, and next to each number we keep the breeder's description in words.
| Trait | Score on the Agrico sheet |
|---|---|
| Earliness | second early, 7 |
| Flesh colour | light yellow, 6.5 |
| Tuber size | quite large, 7 |
| Dry matter | 19% |
| Culinary type | AB, rather firm |
| After-cooking blackening | quite sensitive, 6.5 |
| Suitability for fries | unsuitable, 5 |
| Late blight, foliage and tubers | hardly or not susceptible, 9 |
| Potato cyst nematode Ro 1/4 | resistant, 9 |
| Common scab | slightly susceptible, 6 |
| Growth cracks and second growth | quite sensitive, 6.5 |
| Metribuzin pre- and post-emergence | very sensitive, 3 |
What Twister is good for
Twister is a potato for the fresh market, not for fries. Agrico gives 19% dry matter and rates its suitability for fries as unsuitable. For fries we grow other varieties, Innovator and Donata.
It is not floury. Agrico describes culinary type AB as rather firm, and Agrico UK writes that the flesh is firm after cooking. Agrico rates after-cooking blackening at 6.5, that is quite sensitive, and it is worth knowing before you decide.
An important point for packhouses: according to Agrico UK the variety gives a pre-pack fraction with a high share of large baking tubers. We grade and sort each specific batch anyway, as described below.
What to watch in the field, according to the breeder
Agrico UK advises against using metribuzin (Sencorex) on Twister, and on the Agrico sheet its sensitivity to it pre- and post-emergence scores 3. Agrico UK also recommends a nitrogen rate 10% lower than the standard recommendation.
We apply fertiliser at variable rates, giving each part of the field as much as it needs. We steer our machines with Trimble GPS navigation with RTK correction and the John Deere Auto Pilot system, accurate to the centimetre, so we drive straight, with no overlaps and no gaps.
Twister on Żuławy alluvial soil
Everything we sell grows on our own fields in Żuławy, in Wocławy near Cedry Wielkie. Żuławy means alluvial soils: heavy, humus-rich soils laid down by water, rich in nutrients and good at holding moisture. We farm more than 800 ha, including around 400 ha of vegetables, and we work with 87 machines.
The same alluvial soils grow our speciality, onions, which we describe in our guide onions from Żuławy: how we grow them. We compare Twister with Bella Rosa, Joline and Gala in our post on table potato varieties.
How we lift Twister with the AVR Puma 3 harvester
We lift potatoes with a self-propelled AVR Puma 3 harvester. It takes four rows at once and has a 469 hp Volvo engine and an 8-tonne tank, so it works fast and without downtime, at night too. We use the same harvester to pick up onions from the windrows, and it handles both crops gently, sparing the onion skins and the tubers.
When lifting, what counts is how well the tubers resist bruising. Agrico rates Twister's sensitivity to harvest damage at 7, and to blackspot, that is internal bruising, at 8. We show how the machine itself works in our post on the AVR Puma 3 potato harvester.
How we sort and pack Twister
After harvest the potatoes go through the DOWNS CropVision optical sorter. Cameras and AI scan every tuber through 360 degrees and reject stones, soil clods and defective pieces, at up to 100 tonnes per hour. We select every batch for firmness, colour and dry matter content.
Then we grade and pack to the customer's needs:
- loose,
- in big bags,
- in sacks of 15 kg, 10 kg and smaller.
We produce using a technology free of pesticide residues, in line with the principles of Integrated Plant Production. We test every batch for pesticide residues, heavy metals and substances harmful to health. We hold GlobalG.A.P., GRASP, FSA Gold (Farm Sustainability Assessment) and GMP+ certificates. We have gathered all varieties and delivery forms in our potato offer.
Scores from the breeder's sheet are a starting point, not a guarantee for a specific batch. That is why we still sort every batch optically and select it for firmness, colour and dry matter.
Storage and availability
Agrico UK writes that Twister has good dormancy and is suited to long-term storage, and Agrico rates its dormancy length at 7, that is quite long. How much Twister we have in a given season and when, we tell you on request, together with the delivery details.
Price and sample
The price of Twister potatoes is calculated based on current market prices, so we give it after a conversation about quantity, timing and form of delivery. On request we send a free sample, so you can assess the produce before ordering. Write to us via the contact form.
