Cultivar · Potato cultivar
Yukon Gold
Yukon Gold is a yellow-fleshed potato bred at the University of Guelph and released in 1980, notable as one of the first widely marketed yellow-fleshed varieties in North America.
Record
Cultivar / variety- Variety of
- Potato
- Botanical taxon
- Solanum tuberosum
- Type
- Cultivar
- Breeding method
- Cross-breeding
- Origin
- Ontario, Canada (University of Guelph), Canada
- Released
- 1980
- Breeder / institution
- University of Guelph, Ontario (breeding by G. Johnston and colleagues)
- Registry status
- Historical · as of 2026-07-12
- Registries
- USDA GRIN-Global / National Plant Germplasm System · United States / Global · as of 2026-07-12Maintained as germplasm in the U.S. National Plant Germplasm System; a genebank holding, not a marketing registration.
- Adaptation
- Grown as a cool-season crop like potato generally; its earlier-to-mid maturity suits temperate maincrop production. Sensitive to frost and to heat during tuber bulking. Suited to the loose, well-drained soils preferred by potato generally; no unusual soil requirement is documented here.
- Intended use
- Table (boiling, baking, mashing), Roasting
Registry listing or variety protection is jurisdiction- and date-specific and does not by itself indicate current commercial availability, universal cultivation approval, patent status, or a recommendation.
Yukon Gold is a yellow-fleshed potato cultivar developed at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, and released in 1980. It became widely known as one of the first yellow-fleshed varieties to be marketed on a large scale in North America, where white-fleshed potatoes had previously dominated the fresh market.
The variety has thin, smooth yellow-buff skin marked by shallow pink eyes and firm yellow flesh. It is treated as an all-purpose potato, used for boiling, mashing, baking, and roasting, and its distinctive flesh colour contributed to broad consumer recognition.
Background and identity
Yukon Gold was produced through deliberate cross-breeding in the potato programme at the University of Guelph and released in 1980. It is frequently cited as a landmark in popularising yellow-fleshed potatoes with North American consumers, a trait long common in some European and Andean varieties.
- Flesh colour
- Yellow
- Skin
- Thin, smooth yellow-buff with shallow pink eyes
- Cooking character
- All-purpose; suited to boiling, mashing, baking, and roasting
Cultivation and use
As with potato generally, Yukon Gold is grown as a cool-season crop and is sensitive to frost and to heat during tuber bulking. Its earlier-to-mid maturity fits temperate maincrop systems. Culinary performance and agronomic behaviour vary with region, season, and storage.
Relationships
Evidence-backed connections in the knowledge graph.
Scope & limitations
Geographic scope: Developed in Canada and widely grown in North America; also grown elsewhere. Agronomic and culinary behaviour is region- and season-specific.
Climate context: Cool-season temperate crop; early-to-maincrop maturity.
- Cooking and agronomic behaviour is region- and season-specific and varies with storage.
- Any historical variety-registration in Canada or elsewhere is jurisdiction- and date-specific and is not asserted as current here.
Sources
This article draws on the following authoritative sources. See our sources & methodology for how they are selected.
- [1]GRIN-Global / National Plant Germplasm System (opens in a new tab)Authoritative
USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS)
Cited for: Solanum tuberosum classification and germplasm context
- Type:
- Official registry
- Jurisdiction:
- United States / Global
- Accessed:
- 2026-07-12
- High
Cited for: Potato genetic resources and variety documentation
- Type:
- Research institute
- Jurisdiction:
- Global
- Accessed:
- 2026-07-12
- Moderate
Cited for: General background on the variety (secondary)
- Type:
- Reference database
- Jurisdiction:
- Global
- Accessed:
- 2026-07-12