Crème Royale is grown with attributes of higher yields from similar inputs of nutrients and water over mainstream potato varieties which will translate into commercial viability giving value to the Coles customer and viability for Australian growers. Crème Royale also possesses attributes of being highly resistant to disease & drought whilst producing high yields with an absence of deep eyes and variable internal quality, ensuring great taste in all conditions for Coles customers.
Examples of our growing journey to date.
Trials as a brushed unearthed variety to date indicate the following results in comparison to Sebago,
Atherton (FN Qld) season October to December 2010
– Average temperature 30 degrees rainfall 50 -100 mm.
| Sebago | Crème Royale | Variance +or – | |
| Yield per acre | 12 ton | 20 ton | +66% more yield per acre |
| Size | 40% small <110 gm | No smalls180-400 gm | 400 kilo more usable product per ton |
| Disease | Leaf mould | Nil | Less input of sprays for mould and fertiliser. |
Hillston (central NSW) Summer season December to February 2011
– Average temperature 40+ degrees, rainfall 25mm, requires ground water irrigation.
| Sebago | Crème Royale | Variance +or – | |
| Yield per acre | 10 ton | 14 ton | +40% more yield per acre |
| Size | 10% small <110 gm | No smalls 200-400 gm+ | 100 kilo more usable product per ton |
| Issue is heat | Incurred 10% loss due to heat breakdown | Nil – product remained firm | 100 kilo more usable product per ton |
Crème Royale will provide greater environmentally friendly outcomes at reduced costs over current brushed varieties.
Potato Facts – Environmental sustainability
Over the next two decades, the world’s population is expected to grow on average by more than 100 million people a year. More than 95 percent of that increase will occur in the developing countries, where pressure on land and water is already intense. A key challenge facing the international community is, therefore, to ensure food security for present and future generations, while protecting the natural resource base on which we all depend. The potato will be an important part of efforts to meet those challenges…
- The potato produces more nutritious food more quickly, on less land, and in harsher climates than any other major crop.
- Up to 85% of the potato plant is edible human food, compared to around 50% in cereals.
- On average, it takes 3,000 litres of water to grow 1kg of rice, 500 litres to grow 1kg of wheat and 75 litres for 1kg of potatoes. That is more water than many households use in a week for just 1kg of rice. Converting that to water required to produce an average serving portion: rice uses 300 litres, pasta uses 50 litres and a serving of potatoes uses 13 litres. So a serving of potatoes uses 25% of the water required for a serving of pasta and 4% of water required for rice.
- In terms of sheer quantity harvested, the potato tuber is the world’s No. 4 food crop, with production in 2006 of almost 315 million tonnes.
- Potatoes are so rich in starch that it ranks as the world’s fourth most important food crop, after maize, wheat and rice.
