News on New Potato Varieties from Europe

Royal HZPC Group posts a strong 2024/25: revenue €525 M (USD 603 M), tonnage 1 M+, net profit €17.1 M (USD 19.8 M). Growers get €10.90 (USD 12.5) dividend. New varieties excel in French‑fry, chips, export and fresh markets, with acreage expected to grow further.

EUROPLANT marked major anniversaries by raising €20,000 (USD 21,400) for AGUAPAN, a Peruvian initiative preserving potato diversity crucial for breeding, climate resilience, and global food security.

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.

Europatat Congress 2025 in Lille brought together Europe’s potato leaders to tackle challenges like climate change, shifting consumption, and global trade. With optimism, speakers stressed innovation, sustainability, and adapting to consumer demands.

Potatoes in Practice, the UK’s biggest field potato event, is on 7 August at Balruddery Farm. Hosted by James Hutton Institute, it brings growers, researchers, and industry leaders together to share innovations and advance the potato sector.

KeyGene's new potato variety, developed using the 2S1® graft hybrid technique, combines Pimpernel's drought-resistant skin with Bintje's high yield. This breakthrough offers faster, cost-effective breeding for sustainable crops.

Greenvale’s Golden Kings launched ‘Move Over Maris’ with Great British Chefs to promote climate-friendly, high-yielding potatoes needing less irrigation and pest control, urging consumers to switch varieties.

Researchers have identified the StCDF1 gene as a key regulator in potatoes, enhancing nitrogen use efficiency and paving the way for the development of high-yielding, nitrogen-efficient cultivars.

As of October 2024, 12 new potato varieties were added to the State Register of Plant Varieties Suitable for Distribution in Ukraine during 2024. Four of these varieties are of French selection, four are German, and four are Dutch.

As of today, potato breeder Royal HZPC Group welcomes Hans Huistra as its new CEO. Colleagues from all of Royal HZPC Group's global locations (HZPC, STET and ZOS) had the opportunity to gain a first impression of Hans Huistra in a broadcasted meeting.

Welcome to Potato Glory SPUDLight series! These vare HZPC's favourite potato varieties, and they can't wait to share them with you.

On 9 and 10 November, potato company Agrico held its annual Variety and Seedling Show at Agrico Research in Bant. This year was dedicated to its 50th anniversary.

Potato Europe 2023, recently held in Tournai, Belgium, became more international than we saw in the past years. Visitors from all around the world visited the event to see the latest European potato technologies.

Solynta's potato variety was the only one to survive the high late blight pressure in the field among three other commercial varieties planted alongside.

A new predictive method has shown a way to better select parents for new potato varieties, offering a blueprint for better potatoes and a way to speed up the production of higher yield varieties.

Launched in 2017, the potato variety Kingsman has developed quickly in popularity to become Scotland-based potato breeder Cygnet PB Ltd.’s first globally successful variety.

On occasion HZPC's 125th anniversary on February 27, 2023, Drs. A. A. M. Brok, Commissioner of the King of the Province of Friesland presented potato breeder HZPC with the certificate for the predicate Royal.

In the Netherlands, 31 parties in the table potato chain sign a covenant in which they commit to switch completely to organic robust potato varieties, including 7 supermarkets.