News on New Potato Varieties

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

Jan-Paul Bandsma, De Nijs, Warmenhuizen: 'We're looking for strong, robust, drought and heat resistant varieties.'

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.'

Lammert Buwalda, Royal-ZAP/Semagri, Wieringerwerf on potato breeding: 'It's a matter of starting somewhere and waiting for a chance hit.'

Robert Graveland, HZPC research, Metslawier: ‘Marker-assisted classical breeding is going to change a lot in the range of varieties over the coming ten to fifteen years.’

Colm McDonnell, IPM, Deinum: ‘We feel an obligation to produce varieties that can be grown in an environmentally friendly way.’

Sjefke Allefs, Agrico Research, Bant: 'As soon as a French-fry manufacturer accepts a variety as a raw material, things move fast.'

Jaap Brondijk, Stet Holland, Emmeloord: ’The point is to achieve significant improvements and not to have more of the same.’

Jacob Eising, Den Hartigh, Emmeloord: 'For growers, it's important to offer harvest and quality assurance.'

David Murdie, Potato Manager at GPS Potato Breeders, Angus: ‘As Scottish growers, we focus mainly on the home market.’

Dirk Stellingwerf, Schaap-Holland BV, Biddinghuizen: ‘There’s always room for new French-fry varieties, as long as it’s a 2.0 or 3.0 version of existing ones. The demand for this is growing especially now...'

Scientists from Solynta and Wageningen University & Research (WUR) have published the most complete genome sequence for potatoes to date. A unique aspect is that both sequence and plant material are made available for research.

The Variety Evaluation Committee (VEC) of Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC) has recommended 11 new potato varieties for commercial cultivation in Pakistan.

The Solana Group's stand at last year's Potato Europe at Gut Bockerode, Germany, Breeder and seed supplier Solana GmbH & Co. will use the upcoming potato fairs to introduce a total of three new table potatoes.

In mid-July, a new variety of potato named Alliston was officially registered with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, making it the first tater in history to take its name from the potato capital of Ontario.

Canadian potato processing company Cavendish Farms, a subsidiary of J.D. Irving, announced last week that it will build a new potato research and plant breeding centre in New Annan, Prince Edward Island.

Recent research at the James Hutton Institute suggests that limited genetic differences in potato lineages has left British and American spuds vulnerable to late blight, the disease that caused the Irish potato famine.