Dakota Skarlagen is the latest red potato released from NDSU

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GRAND FORKS, N.D. — The North Dakota Agriculture Experiment Station has released a new red potato variety called Dakota Skarlagen.

Dakota Skarlagen is the first red potato variety that NDSU has developed since Dakota Ruby was released in 2014, said Susie Thompson, North Dakota State University associate professor and Johansen-Thompson Endowed Professor in potato breeding. Thompson made the announcement at the Northland Potato Growers Research Reporting Conference held Feb. 17 at Alerus Center in Grand Forks.

Dakota Skarlagen was selected in 2012, evaluated from 2013 through 2025 and has been replicated in research trials and by farmers since 2017, Thompson said.

The North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station officially released the new variety on Feb. 15, 2025.

Skarlagen, a word which means “scarlet” in Norwegian and Danish, not only describes the deep red color of the new potato variety, but also is a tribute to the heritage of many of the farmers in North Dakota and Minnesota who grow the potatoes, Thompson said.

The new tuber is a “wonderful” variety for both seed and commercial growers, she said. The variety has smaller tubers than varieties such as Red LaSota, but more of them per plant, so yields are competitive.

The deep red color of Dakota Skarlagen, which is sustained in storage, will enhance its marketability, Thompson believes.

“It has better skin color than Red Norland,” she said during an interview with Agweek after the potato research meeting. Dakota Skarlagen is also less susceptible to silver scurf, a fungal disease that appears at the end of the tubers and can worsen in storage. Though the potato is still edible, its brown appearance and silver blemishes result in it being unattractive to consumers. Meanwhile, silver scurf can cause the stored potatoes to dehydrate, which makes them more susceptible to bruising.

Besides having an aesthetically pleasing exterior, Dakota Skarlagen has snowy white flesh that it good for mashing, Thompson said. The round variety is smooth with shallow eyes that make it easier to peel than varieties, such as Red LaSota, which has deep eyes.

“I’m super excited about the release,” Thompson said.

“It’s always great to have a new variety release,” said Andy Robinson, NDSU and University of Minnesota Extension potato agronomist. “It’s a competitive market. Anytime you can get a new variety, it’s good for growers.”

Insect management

During the Northland Potato Growers Research Reporting Conference on Feb. 17, potato growers also heard updates on topics including insect management.

Research continues on ways to control the Colorado potato beetle, a longtime foe of potato producers that causes damage to plants.

The insect is referred to as a “super bug,” not only for the damage it causes to potatoes, but also for its insecticide resistance, said Ian MacRae, University of Minnesota Extension entomologist. Colorado potato beetles have about a half dozen ways to become resistant, he said.

Farmers should use resistant management practices — even with new chemistries — such as reducing spray drift and making on-target applications. They should rotate modes of action and, if possible, avoid treating successive generations of the Colorado potato beetle with the same mode of action. Awareness of rate creep is another factor to consider, MacRae said.

“Even though not all application failures are due to resistance, it helps to assume it may be an issue,” he said.

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