Noticias sobre la Investigación y Desarrollo de Europa

Jason O’Leary, a potato grower from Blackwater, Co. Wexford, has been elected Chair of the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) Potato Committee, which represents potato growers within Ireland’s largest farming organisation.

Scientists decoded a haplotype-resolved potato genome and GWAS of 141 accessions, identifying StTST2, a tonoplast sugar transporter. StTST2 boosts photosynthesis, sugar accumulation, source–sink transport, and tuber yield via interaction with SUT2.

Lamb Weston, HAI, Radboud University and ISPT are advancing potato processing with AI and hyperspectral imaging to boost quality, reduce waste and improve efficiency. Lamb Weston experts say the technology enables consistent supply and faster, deeper quality predictions.

FRUIT LOGISTICA 2026 (4–6 Feb, Berlin) gathers the global fresh produce industry for innovation, networking, and market insights. With 2,500+ exhibitors, expert forums, tech showcases, and the 20th Innovation Award, it drives the future of fresh produce.

Max Koeune, CEO of McCain Foods, joins The Consumer Goods Forum as Co-Chair alongside Tesco’s Ken Murphy, driving global collaboration and innovation. McCain continues its leadership in sustainability, food waste, and industry partnerships.

La robótica, la imagen, los sensores y las herramientas basadas en datos impulsarán la innovación en frutas y hortalizas en FRUIT LOGISTICA 2026. El Simposio Científico FRUTIC, el 6 de febrero, destacará avances que están transformando la producción y el manejo poscosecha a nivel mundial.

SolEdits and Lyckeby have developed CRISPR-edited potatoes with storage-stable starch, removing the need for chemical modification. Once allowed in the EU, this innovation can save 5,000 tonnes of chemicals yearly in Sweden and up to 75,000 across the EU.

Plant protection, bureaucracy, and production costs – these are just some of the issues currently weighing heavily on Germany’s specialty crop sector.

Su director ejecutivo, Hans Huistra, destacó que estos resultados reflejan el éxito de sus nuevas variedades - como Quintera, Travolta, Invictus, Cardyma y Castor - y el impacto positivo de las inversiones en investigación y desarrollo.

Produce Investments (PI) acquires Biofresh Safestore, a leader in fixed crop management. Combined with Restrain’s natural sprout suppression, the move expands PI’s tech portfolio, offering flexible, innovative storage solutions across Europe and beyond.

Germany’s POMORROW project will decode the genes of 6,357 potato varieties to advance breeding of drought-tolerant, pest-resistant and nutrient-efficient potatoes, supporting sustainable, climate-smart farming and securing future global food supplies.

Royal HZPC Group planea adquirir IPM Potato Group, con sede en Irlanda, un destacado obtentor y exportador de semilla de papa, fortaleciendo así la presencia de HZPC en el Reino Unido y a nivel global.

PotatoEurope 2025 set records with 17,268 visitors from 107 countries on Sept 3-4 in Lelystad, Netherlands. Live demos, trial fields, and top innovations like Croptimal’s Croptiscan 9000 highlighted the event. Next edition: Sept 9-10, 2026, Germany.

PotatoEurope 2025 se celebrará del 3 al 4 de septiembre en WUR Lelystad con más de 300 expositores y visitantes de 119 países. Entre los principales atractivos figuran cosechas de prueba, conferencias sobre ICM y mercado, demostraciones en vivo desde la recolección hasta la clasificación, y campos de prueba de innovación.

Branston potato growers gathered in Lincolnshire to explore new varieties, including a nutty salad potato and Inca Rosa, aimed at supermarkets by 2026. The field walk showcased trials, yields, and innovations, with Tesco also backing the development.

Potato Professionals in the United Kingdom gathered for the annual Potatoes in Practice (PiP)event, hosted by the National Potato Innovation Centre (NPIC), in partnership with SRUC and Agrii, at The James Hutton Institute’s Baldruddery Farm.

Researchers from the Universities of Potsdam and Erlangen, the Max Planck Institute and the National Institute of Biology in Ljubljana developed Potato-GEM, a genome-scale metabolic model to study growth–defense trade-offs in crops.

Aberystwyth University leads a cross-border AI project to combat potato late blight, a disease causing €4B in losses annually. The DeepDetect app will help farmers detect infections early, cutting pesticide use and boosting sustainable farming.