TRADE AND MARKETING Is climate change a topic for potato breeders? ‘Working on water-driven projects’ ‘Good that you ask this now. Climate and climate change have an enormous impact on our breeding activities’, is the immediate, enthusiastic response of Peter Ton of Stet Holland. ‘Look at SAudi Arabia, for example. What they’re doing there right now is safeguarding the water supply, water is not everlasting, is their reasoning. So, what they do is to grow potatoes in the Sudan and Egypt. They have built dams in the river Nile and the entire infrastructure has been adapted so that planting material and its subsequent yields can be transported to and fro. We at Stet Holland are actively involved in that project by supplying suitable potato varieties. We’re doing the same in Madagascar. South Korea has bought land there in order to cultivate potatoes. Although these are remarkable developments in Ton’s eyes, ‘it’s on a grand scale and sometimes intrusive for man and nature in those countries’, these are trends that are the immediate result of climate change. The reason why developing varieties for these ‘waterdriven’ projects is so special is that you can start completely afresh. They don’t have a history with potatoes like in Europe, Ton explains. A variety doesn’t have to be a Bintje or a Spunta lookalike, because they have never heard of them. So Stet Holland can start without any problem in these countries with varieties such as Bellini and Ajiba. These are varieties that do extremely well in hot climate conditions and give a good yield as well, assures the director. ‘Whether they go to Southern Europe or to Northern Africa, all our varieties are first trialled in countries like Israel and Spain. An additional advantage for our seed potato growers in the Netherlands is that these varieties also give excellent yields in dry and hot weather conditions. Last summer they actually experienced this for themselves, says Ton cheerfully. A second climate development he has observed is the shift of potato crops from South to North Europe. ‘In the south of both Italy and Spain we’re seeing a sharp decrease in the acreage, while there’s an increase in acreage in Southern France. You’d think that the varieties would follow this trend, but it doesn’t work that way.’ Europe has a history where varieties are concerned. Every region has its own preferences. It is our task to provide suitable hot-weather-loving varieties for those new growing areas. Fortunately, we have been working on precisely such varieties for over twelve years and because of that we now have the right varieties in stock. One of the crossed results that is on its way to provide beautiful potatoes in hot weather conditions is the Jon 97-32, a Fabula x Santana, which Ton ishows us. This crossing is exported to countries such as SAudi Arabia, Lebanon, and the Sudan and will be sold under the name Jabbar. ‘Fewer possibilities for fertilisation and irrigation’ Peter Keizer, breeder at Fobek at Sint Annaparochie, clearly sees cultivation areas where you can earn money with new climate-proof varieties. The challenge, according to Keizer, is the variety’s efficient use of water and nitrogen. ‘Worldwide, the margins are under pressure, which means that the possibilities for fertilisation and irrigation are dwindling. This is a chance for us. We can already test these criteria in our varieties at an early stage. The summer months here in Northern Friesland, have been dry as dust in the past five years. What’s more, we fertilise with great care and the level of minerals in the soil is low. We also trial our crossings in these climate conditions and that automatically results in varieties that score high on these particular characteristics. Fobek also tests various crossings in hot and far-off regions such as Malta. ‘Because we harvest our potatoes early, we must be certain there is a reasonable crop ready.’ For an example of a variety with a good turnover, Keizer mentions the Bastion. ‘This is also a variety that is resistant to drought. We see that again every year in our trial field. It stands there in the field with the power of a Bastion’, we say. Resistance to scab is also an important issue for Fobek. Keizer thinks that this has to do with drought around the tuber initiation, something you sometimes see in Holland as well. ‘Our Miss Mignon is Potato World 2010 • number 3 17 Pagina 16
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