Current UCUI
68/100
Moderate-High Uncertainty
+4 points from prior reading
Potato Market Intelligence
Potato Hollow Heart Incidence
Potato hollow heart incidence measures the frequency and severity of internal cavities within potato lots. MassGain connects incidence with variety, size, crop conditions, product use, trim or rejection, and replacement markets so buyers can value sound usable tissue rather than exterior appearance alone.
Market Data
How to read this market
Potato hollow heart incidence measures the frequency and severity of internal cavities within potato lots, segmented by variety, size, region, crop period, and sampling method. The object should preserve the intended end use because an internal defect has different consequences for whole, sliced, long-cut, diced, or processed products.
Use incidence with crop conditions, size distribution, inspection, trim or rejection, regional supply, and replacement prices. This allows buyers to quantify usable loss and decide whether affected potatoes can be redirected to a more tolerant application.
Data Module
Potato Hollow Heart Monitor
Origincrop region and supplier
Varietypotato genetics
Sizerelevant tuber class
Incidencesampled internal defect rate
Contexttrim, product use, replacement supply
Decision uselot valuation and allocation
Analysis
Why this matters
Hollow heart can tighten specification-compliant supply without reducing gross crop tonnes because the defect is internal and product-specific. Large-size premiums may even coexist with higher internal-defect risk. Commercial value should therefore be based on sound usable tissue for the intended product, not exterior appearance alone.
Signal 01
Usable Crop Uncertainty Index
UCUI translates crop and market complexity into a simple uncertainty signal. Higher readings indicate greater uncertainty—not necessarily higher prices.
Understand uncertainty. Anticipate risk. Act earlier.
UCUI is designed to analyze potato-industry publications and data signals across regions, varieties, weather, disease, storage, supply, and demand.
WeatherHigh
DiseaseHigh
StorageMedium
SupplyMedium
Single-day snapshot based on a scan of 11,500+ web and social signals. Get historical and real-time data by clicking the button below.
The MassGain Daily
Today’s market analysis.
A daily editorial synthesis of physical potato data, crop signals, market reporting, and what participants should watch next.
September 16, 2026Latest MassGain publication
Potato market steady for now; Russia’s smaller crop is the salient risk
Spot prices are flat and USDA terminal reports read ‘market steady,’ but a renewed forecast for a smaller Russian harvest and recent regional harvest stress leave seasonal import timing and storage losses as the key uncertainty.
Signal 02
MassGain Potato Index
Independent physical-pricing intelligence and market-trend analysis for procurement, forecasting, contracting, and scenario planning.
Core Russet Carton Median
312.45 USD/MT
Latest qualifying physical-market observation
+4.75 (+1.55%)
Price discovery for the physical potato market
MPI is designed to track physical pricing data, price trends, deltas, and divergences across regions and potato types.
Series window45 days
Current public coverageCore russet cartons
Primary source basisQualifying USDA physical rows
UnitUSD per metric tonne
Single-day snapshot based on most recent 45 days worth of data. Limited to US Russets only. Get more complete, global data about all varieties by clicking the button below.
Signal 03
MassGain Spot Reference
An independent spot reference designed for price discovery, contract discussions, procurement comparisons, and risk modeling.
Russet Burbank — U.S. Midsize
305 USD/MT
Demonstration reference format
+1.6% WoW · Confidence: High
A trusted benchmark for pricing, contracts, and risk
MSR is intended to use real transactions and verifiable physical-market data to support negotiations, price checks, contracting, and risk models.
ProductRusset Burbank
SpecificationU.S. midsize, 40–70 count
Reference typePhysical spot benchmark
StatusIn development
Based on most recent 45 days worth of data. Limited to US Russets only. Get more complete, global data about all varities by clicking the button below. Full access also includes historical data -- including depreciated NYMEX/CBOE/EEX spot references -- projections, trends, and AI-driven insights.
The MassGain Product Ladder
From insight to intelligence to action
Four integrated products built for the physical potato market, delivered through public pages, reports, exports, dashboards, and API access.
1
Content
Original research, commentary, aggregated news, and market updates.
- What matters right now?
- What is happening out there?
2
UCUI™
Usable Crop Uncertainty Index: an AI-powered signal of crop risk and market uncertainty.
- Understand uncertainty
- Anticipate risk
- Act earlier
3
MPI™
MassGain Potato Index: independent physical-pricing intelligence and trend analysis.
- Price discovery
- Regional trends
- Procurement planning
4
MSR™
MassGain Spot Reference: an independent benchmark for price discovery and risk modeling.
- Contracts
- Negotiations
- Risk models
Content + UCUI + MPI + MSR + API access
Get historical series, regional detail, constituent data, exports, alerts, and direct data access.
Overview
Who is this for?
This page is for potato processors, growers, procurement teams, quality managers, and agricultural risk users that need to monitor hollow heart incidence. Hollow heart is an internal physiological defect that can reduce processing yield, finished appearance, customer acceptance, and lot value even when the tuber looks sound externally. MassGain helps users connect incidence with variety, size, growth conditions, region, crop period, and market availability.
The economic effect depends on the product. Hollow heart may create substantial loss in whole, sliced, or large-cut applications while being less consequential in products that remove or disperse the affected tissue. MassGain compares current incidence with historical regional patterns, size distributions, crop stress, inspection findings, grade tolerances, and replacement prices. Procurement can identify whether a supplier discount is proportionate, operations can allocate affected lots to tolerant products, and finance can estimate trim, downgrade, or rejection costs. Growers and contract teams can also understand when large-size premiums should be qualified by internal-defect risk. MassGain does not diagnose the agronomic cause or certify lots. It provides the market and quality framework needed to translate observed hollow heart into usable supply, price adjustments, processing decisions, and future sourcing risk.
Use Case
A processor receives large potatoes with elevated hollow heart incidence during a regional shortage. MassGain compares inspection results, size premiums, trim loss, and replacement cost. The plant reserves sound lots for whole and long-cut products and redirects affected potatoes to a line where the internal defect has lower economic impact.
FAQs
What is potato hollow heart?
It is an internal cavity or separation within the tuber that may not be visible from the exterior.
Why does hollow heart affect price?
It can increase trimming, rejection, downgrade, customer complaints, and loss in products requiring sound internal tissue.
How does MassGain assess hollow heart incidence?
It connects inspection and sampling with variety, size, crop conditions, regional history, prices, and product-specific loss.
Put this market intelligence to work
Get historical data, regional detail, benchmarks, alerts, exports, and API access tailored to your procurement
and market-analysis needs.
Data and Methodology
Professional market-data standards
MassGain is building transparent public market infrastructure. Each live metric will identify its date, unit, coverage, methodology, and source basis.
Data provenance
MassGain uses public, licensed, contributed, and independently derived physical-market information. Source availability and publication schedules vary.
Timing and revisions
Figures may reflect the latest available observation rather than a same-day transaction. Source data and MassGain calculations may be corrected, restated, or revised.
Not transactional pricing
MassGain figures are informational reference values and do not constitute executable bids, offers, settlements, or guarantees that a transaction can occur at the displayed value.
No individualized advice
Content and data are provided for informational and analytical purposes and do not constitute financial, investment, legal, trading, or individualized procurement advice.
Independent publication
Certain observations may be derived from USDA reports. MassGain is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USDA.
Commercial use and licensing
Public display does not grant rights to reproduce, redistribute, republish, or incorporate MassGain indices or references into commercial products or contracts without authorization.