New red potato variety developed at NDSU released

The first red potato variety developed at North Dakota State University in more than a decade has been released.

Susie Thompson, North Dakota State University associate professor and Johansen-Thompson Endowed Professor in potato breeding, announced the release of Dakota Skarlagen at the Northland Potato Growers Research Reporting Conference on Feb. 17.

Dakota Skarlagen is the first red potato variety that NDSU has developed since Dakota Ruby was released in 2014, Thompson said.

Skarlagen, which means scarlet in Norwegian and Danish, describes the deep red color of the new variety while paying tribute to the heritage of North Dakota and Minnesota potato growers.

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.