Europlant Holland: 'We perceive a demand for robust, stress-resistant varieties with nematode resistance.'

Every year in the first full week of November, the European potato breeding and seed trading companies operating in the Netherlands present their new varieties and latest breeding results to their global customer base.

Many of these new varieties are intended to be used some day for the production of French Fries. All participants at what we here at PotatoPro call the 'Potato Variety Presentations in the Netherlands' (of doodgewoon rassenpresentaties in het Nederlands) have one or more contenders in this segment.

This raises the question:

“Is there room for all those new French-fry varieties?”

Europlant Holland, Heerenveen

“If there's a year that gives reason to adjust the range of French-fry varieties, then the past year is a good example. New French-fry varieties that are resistant to high temperatures and drought have entered the picture.”

“But it's not only the changing climate that calls for new French-fry varieties, the consequences of more intense cultivation are also to blame. This is reflected, among other things, in the nematode problem,which, in turn, requires resistances.”

“So, these two factors add up to a new demand for robust, stress-resistant varieties with nematode resistance. And we have that with the young Etana and Donata varieties.”

Europlant's Etana is a medium-late French fries variety for long term storage

“The Etana is a mid-late French-fry potato for long storage with particularly substantial nematode resistance. The variety combines that with excellent taste and texture, which gives it a very good frying quality even after a long storage period.”

“Our Donata is,in fact, a mid-early French-fry potato with a nematode resistance as well as a resistance to wart disease. What you see after this hot summer is that potatoes sprout easily. Donata doesn't do that and is therefore very suitable for long storage.”