Abstract
This study was carried out to understand and improve the selection efficiency of potato varieties for processing in early breeding stages under two different cultural environments - spring cropping in lowlands and summer cropping in highlands. In Gangneung, lowland area for spring crop, early maturing group of potato lines showed higher yielding performance and better processing characteristics - higher specific gravity and lower glucose content - than mid-late maturing group, and their most desirable harvesting time was at 105 days when compared to 90 and 120 days after planting, respectively. While in Daegwallyung, highland area for summer crop, mid-late maturing group of potato lines showed reversely better adaptability and processing characteristics than early maturing group when harvested at 120 days after planting. Therefore plant maturity types of potato varieties for the specific cultural environments in Korea should be considered to select a promising variety for processing in early potato breeding programs.