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

  1. ↑ Bateman, Charlotte (16 March 2022). "World's heaviest potato contender in New Zealand turns out to be a gourd, Guinness World Records finds". Sky News. Archived from the original on 27 April 2022. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  2. ↑ Perry, Nick (16 March 2022). "Nice try but no potato for New Zealand couple's giant find". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 5 April 2022. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  3. ↑ Javed, Saman (16 March 2022). "World's largest potato is actually a tuber, says Guinness World Records". The Independent. Archived from the original on 26 April 2022. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  4. ↑ 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. Archived from the original on 17 March 2022. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  5. ↑ "Doug the ugly New Zealand potato could be world's biggest". The Independent. 4 November 2021. Archived from the original on 14 April 2022. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  6. ↑ "'Doug' the mutant spud could be world's heaviest potato at nearly 8kg". Sky News. Archived from the original on 23 March 2022. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  7. ↑ McCarter, Reid (17 March 2022). "That huge potato named Doug isn't actually a potato after all". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on 12 April 2022. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  8. 1 2 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. Archived from the original on 29 March 2022. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  9. ↑ 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. Archived from the original on 16 March 2022. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  10. ↑ Frost, Natasha (17 March 2022). "It Could've Been the World's Largest Potato, if Only It Were a Potato". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 7 May 2022. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  11. ↑ Ravindran, Jeevan (5 November 2021). "Is this the world's heaviest potato? New Zealand couple accidentally grow a titanic tuber". CNN. Archived from the original on 9 May 2022. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
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