News on Potato Defects and Diseases from the Netherlands

Last November Agrico built an online news platform to support its buyers and growers with important knowledge and information. Agrico now also shares the latest insights and successes of its Next Generation potato varieties on this online platform

An international team of researchers has struck an important blow in the ongoing evolutionary arms race with the notorious potato disease late blight (Phytophthora infestans).

According to a report by the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA), an unknown variant of wart disease was discovered in agricultural fields in the municipality of Stadskanaal in the north-east of the country.

Wageningen University & Research (WUR) is to study wild potato varieties for resistance to a wide range of potato-diseases and plagues. This broad approach should yield breeding material that can be used to develop disease-free potato varieties.

Harry van de Vijver, Germicopa, Quimper (F): 'Give us yellow-fleshed French-fry varieties with broad nematode resistance.'

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

Jan-Eric Geersing, Caithness Potatoes Nederland, Emmeloord: 'New French-fry varieties must excel in at least one characteristic, but in fact have two good ones.

Jos Bus, The Potato Company, Emmeloord: 'What you want to find in the end is a practical potato with a simple user manual.'

The potato breeding company Solynta in The Netherlands has successfully produced a hybrid breeding program for potatoes which will allow the rapid selection and turnover of favourable traits, traits which could help feed millions of people worldwide.

During the annual potato variety show at Agrico the topic of discussion was not limited to unique varieties on display. The impact of the excessive heat and drought this season on the seed potato market was also a hot topic.

As part of the potato variety presentations in the Netherlands later this week, Agrico highlights its late blight resistant varieties in a Ukraine themed show.

Wageningen University & Research uses computer models to develop sustainable management strategies in the control of potato late blight, caused by Phytophthora infestans.

Dewulf now unveils Torro, its long-awaited trailed 2-row sieving potato harvester with haulm conveyor, flat hedgehog units and bunker.

The breeders of Solynta have succeeded in making potato plants insusceptible to the dreaded potato disease Phytophthora infestans, using their revolutionary hybrid breeding technique.

The Dutch company Solynta has developed a potato variety that is resistant to late blight (Phytophthora Infestans). As a result, it could greatly reduce the use of pesticides in agriculture.

Potato breeder Solynta started a potato revolution nearly ten years ago: to develop and apply new breeding technologies to convert potatoes into a hybrid crop. A 'large' trial of the first experimental hybrids took place last season.

At its annual variety presentation, Agrico presented four promising new varieties that have recently been included in the Dutch list of varieties.

Every once in a while the potato disease Phytophthora crops up in the Netherlands, and this year is no exception. Especially potato farmers in the South of the Netherlands are worried.