Biology:Doug (tuber)
Doug, also known as Dug,[1] is a tuber in the Cucurbitaceae family that was grown by Colin and Donna Craig-Brown near Hamilton in New Zealand.[2] Weighing roughly 17.4 pounds (7.9 kg), it was thought to be the largest potato on record for a period after its discovery, topping the 11-pound (5.0 kg) record holder at the time. However, genetic testing revealed that Doug is not, in fact, a potato.
Background
On 30 August 2021, while the Craig-Browns were weeding their garden near Hamilton, Colin's hoe struck what he initially thought was a fungal growth or a sweet potato beneath the surface; he discarded these ideas after realising the object's size.[3] The couple dug around the object. Colin extracted it with a garden fork,[4] scratched its skin, tasted it, and decided that it was a potato. The couple weighed it and named it Doug, after the word dug.
Doug grew in popularity locally and on Facebook, where the couple occasionally posted photographs of it.[5][6] At the suggestion of friends, the Craig-Browns submitted an application for the tuber, which was being kept in a freezer at the time, to Guinness World Records,[7] in the category of largest potato. Doug was verified as being a potato by several gardening experts,[8] but doubts persisted. In March 2022, the Craig-Browns' application was declined after genetic testing conducted by Plant & Food Research confirmed that Doug was the "tuber of a type of gourd".[8][9] Chris Claridge, who assisted in the genetic testing, suggested that the tuber may have grown as the result of infection or disease.[10]
Colin Craig-Brown had previously stated that he planned to turn Doug into vodka once the tuber's popularity died down.[11]
References
- ↑ Bateman, Charlotte (16 March 2022). "World's heaviest potato contender in New Zealand turns out to be a gourd, Guinness World Records finds" (in en). Sky News. https://news.sky.com/story/new-zealand-potato-the-size-of-a-dog-turns-out-to-be-a-spud-like-plant-guinness-world-records-finds-12567595.
- ↑ Perry, Nick (16 March 2022). "Nice try but no potato for New Zealand couple's giant find" (in en). Associated Press. https://apnews.com/article/worlds-largest-potato-doug-a440afd3c656018c585078ed3ac18970.
- ↑ Javed, Saman (16 March 2022). "World's largest potato is actually a tuber, says Guinness World Records" (in en). The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/giant-potato-guinness-world-records-tuber-b2037024.html.
- ↑ Page, Sydney (8 November 2021). "A couple stumbled upon a 17-pound potato in their garden. It's probably the biggest spud in the world.". The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2021/11/08/largest-potato-guinness-book-garden.
- ↑ "Doug the ugly New Zealand potato could be world's biggest" (in en). The Independent. 4 November 2021. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/new-zealand-doug-ugly-potato-guinness-b1951180.html.
- ↑ "'Doug' the mutant spud could be world's heaviest potato at nearly 8kg" (in en). Sky News. https://news.sky.com/story/doug-the-mutant-spud-could-be-worlds-heaviest-potato-at-nearly-8kg-12459635.
- ↑ McCarter, Reid (17 March 2022). "That huge potato named Doug isn't actually a potato after all" (in en-us). The A.V. Club. https://www.avclub.com/doug-dug-the-giant-potato-gourd-tuber-1848666546.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Page, Sydney (19 March 2022). "They thought they unearthed the world's largest potato. It turned out not to be a potato at all.". The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2022/03/19/worlds-largest-potato-guinness-record.
- ↑ Calfas, Jennifer (16 March 2022). "It Turns Out the World's Largest Potato Is Actually a Gourd, Guinness World Records Says". The Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-worlds-largest-potato-is-actually-a-gourd-guinness-world-records-says-11647452653.
- ↑ Frost, Natasha (17 March 2022). "It Could've Been the World's Largest Potato, if Only It Were a Potato". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/17/world/asia/worlds-largest-potato-doug.html.
- ↑ Ravindran, Jeevan (5 November 2021). "Is this the world's heaviest potato? New Zealand couple accidentally grow a titanic tuber" (in en). CNN. https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/giant-potato-garden-plant-record-heavy-scli-intl/index.html.
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