News on Potato Varieties and Seed from Europe

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.

In three weeks PotatoEurope 2017 opens its doors. Over 265 exhibitors (+8 %) from 16 countries will share their potato expertise with you in their booths and allow visitors a look in the potato chain of the future.

The Chinese Government and leading potato company, Xisen Potato Group have committed £3 million to a collaboration with James Hutton Limited (JHL) to breed new varieties and research resistance to pests and diseases, tuber storage and potato processing.

Government representatives from Scotland and Brazil met in July to simplify the import classification requirements for seed potatoes. The game-changing meeting was organised and funded by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB).

In Scotland, a group of major potato businesses and public sector organisations have sponsored a £242,000 (USD 313,000) research project aimed at reducing the impact of potato disease blackleg on the Scottish seed potato industry.

En colaboración con la empresa holandesa de semillas HZPC, Patatas Meléndez está trabajando con nuevas variedades de papa (o patata) procedentes de Perú, estudiando la posibilidad de que sean una alternativa a las que tradicionalmente se emplean en la Comunidad Autónoma de Castilla y León.

A 22-year-old Dewulf R3000S 2-row, self-propelled potato harvester, harvests recently in the Finnish Lapland. The machine harvests 70 km south of the Arctic Circle and is the most northern Dewulf harvester in the world.

Seed potato growers for the United Kingdom who have been confident that crucial trade with Egypt and other non-EU markets would not be disrupted by Brexit may be in for a shock.

Scientists have identified a version of a single gene involved in the heat stress response that is more active in potato types that can tolerate high temperature, potentially providing potato breeders a tool to make potato varieties less vulnerable to increased temperature.

HZPC Holland bv heeft de
definitieve uitbetalingsprijs voor zijn Nederlandse pootaardappel-pool over Oogst 2016
vastgesteld op € 34,40 per 100 kilo.

NEIKER-Tecnalia is conducting research since 2014 with the objective to identify potato varieties with high levels of bioactive compounds (anthocyanins, phenols and total carotenoids - all having potential potential health benefits), and are adapted to the growing conditions in Spain.

El Instituto Vasco de Investigación y Desarrollo Agrario, NEIKER-Tecnalia, ha llevado a cabo avances en la mejora genética de patata con el objetivo de obtener variedades con elevados niveles de compuestos bioactivos (antocianinas, fenoles y carotenoides totales), así como capacidad antioxidante beneficiosas para la salud, adaptadas a nuestras condiciones de cultivo.

The Antwerp Court of Appeal has sentenced a farmer in the Belgian province of Antwerp to pay a large fine and damage compensation to Breeders Trust for not reporting his acreage farm saved seed for the varieties Asterix and Fontane which are protected under Plant Breeders’ Rights.

Recent flooding of the global seed vault in Svalbard caused a stir, since it was designed to last forever. Luckily all seeds (including several thousand potato seeds) are OK, but already adaptations to the vault may be needed to deal with climate change.

The value of the certificate of share of HZPC Holding B.V., the world leader in potato breeding and seed potato trade, is determined on € 165.65 at the bi-annual stock trading day. This means again a maximum increase of the value of 10% and it brings the market value to € 129.8 million.

DEFRA ha aprobado la solicitud del Laboratorio Sainsbury, Norwich, para llevar a cabo ensayos de campo con cultivo de papa genéticamente modificada (GM) en un sitio de ensayo designado en el Norwich Research Park entre 2017 y 2021.

In the United Kingdom, farming minster George Eustice (DEFRA) has approved a four-year trial of genetically modified (GM) potatoes at The Sainsbury Laboratory in Norwich.

The Jazzy baby potato from C. Meijer does not need to be peeled. This variety, introduced seven years ago by the Dutch breeder, just needs to be washed. Jazzy baby potatoes can also be served after only ten minutes of cooking.