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The development of Tahi and Rua potatoes in Lincoln
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TitleThe development of Tahi and Rua potatoes in Lincoln
DescriptionIn September 1960, the New Zealand Journal of Agriculture published an announcement of two new potato varieties, Tahi and Rua, named after the Māori name for numbers one and two. These were bred by the Crop Research Division of the Department of Industrial and Scientific Research (DSIR) in Lincoln.
Potato breeding in Lincoln started in 1937 but was halted during WW2, beginning again in 1948. The aim of the programme was to produce varieties that would yield well under a wide range of conditions, be blight resistant and be of acceptable quality to market and to eat.
Tahi was so named because it was the first hybrid potato marketed by the Crop Research Division. It was a more waxy potato, a cross between Sebago and Harford varieties. Rua was the second, a more floury cross between Katahdin and Harford.
Rua became more popular than Tahi as a table potato: it is one of the two most-grown potatoes in Aotearoa, the other being Ilam Hardy (2024).
The names Tahi and Rua were suggested by Dr. Roger Duff, Curator of Canterbury Museum.
Date1960
DescriptionIn September 1960, the New Zealand Journal of Agriculture published an announcement of two new potato varieties, Tahi and Rua, named after the Māori name for numbers one and two. These were bred by the Crop Research Division of the Department of Industrial and Scientific Research (DSIR) in Lincoln.Potato breeding in Lincoln started in 1937 but was halted during WW2, beginning again in 1948. The aim of the programme was to produce varieties that would yield well under a wide range of conditions, be blight resistant and be of acceptable quality to market and to eat.
Tahi was so named because it was the first hybrid potato marketed by the Crop Research Division. It was a more waxy potato, a cross between Sebago and Harford varieties. Rua was the second, a more floury cross between Katahdin and Harford.
Rua became more popular than Tahi as a table potato: it is one of the two most-grown potatoes in Aotearoa, the other being Ilam Hardy (2024).
The names Tahi and Rua were suggested by Dr. Roger Duff, Curator of Canterbury Museum.
Date1960Connections
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The development of Tahi and Rua potatoes in Lincoln (1960). Selwyn Stories, accessed 27/05/2026, https://selwynstories.selwynlibraries.co.nz/nodes/view/6725