Does climate change also have an influence on variety development? TRADE AND MARKET I NG Jeroen van Soesbergen (l), Plantera: ‘It’s more important for us to find the right direction for our breeding’ Joint owner Jeroen van Soesbergen of Plantera in Marknesse raises his eyebrows when he hears the climate question. ‘Well, that’s quite a question. As we see it, we’ve only just started with our breeding activities. We are still in the first phase and then a broad aspect such as climate change is not really the first thing you think of. It’s more important for us now to find the right direction for our breeding and the characteristics that suit that stage. One example of a climate characteristic is salt tolerance. Many fellow breeders are already busy with that. We’re not yet in the luxury position to test numbers for that, though. We can get going much faster with a factor like drought stress. Well, we’ll first have to go through our own genetics properly, check the characteristics of the parent crossings, because we don't yet know exactly what we have ourselves at the moment. And could take at least ten years before you can expect the first results. See it this way: we’ll gradually start working on this subject that’s for sure. But first, I think, will be disease resistance. Phytophthora risk will increase as a result of climate change. We already have some varieties with good resistance in this area, such as the Vitabella. We can start developing new varieties with that variety. And this will also apply to a characteristic such as nematode resistance. The changing climate will bring warmer winters to Northern Europe, resulting in more second-growth plants with better survival conditions for nematodes. Knowingly or unknowingly, we’ll make adjustments to our variety package in the coming years as a result of the everchanging climate.' Guus Heselmans (l), Meijer Potatoes: ‘Our breeding programme includes profiles such as soil type, climate and crossing parents as standard’ ‘Harvest certainty and quality are factors that we have right at the top of our breeding programme’, answers breeder Guus Heselmans of Meijer Potatoes in the village of Rilland, during the varieties days operational from its location in Emmeloord. ‘If you have to deal with climate factors, you have to take that into account, for Meijer Potatoes that’s not up for discussion. One important aspect is to distinguish between types of soil because potatoes have varied reactions to climate changes in the different types of soil. Temperature shocks, dry and wet periods, cold and wind are factors that all play a role. Dealing with this is quite simple really. You need to have the data ready in good time from all the regions where you want to grow potatoes. This also applies to information about the crossing parents, which you also need to know. The skill is to set up the logistics of the breeding programme in such a way that can throw out as much as possible, while at the same time having managed to test all the climate factors as well. To do that we have our own breeding programme that automatically selects for soil type, climate, and the search for crossing parents. And yield is then not the only factor. Risks such as internal defects are also important considerations; - for example, hollow hearts – but also changes in disease susceptibility of which Alternaria is typical. A new variety needn’t necessarily fulfil all extreme climatic requirements but, before you decide, you need to know what climate characteristics it holds. A totally different effect of climate change connected to the cultivation of potatoes is the shift from one region to another. One of the reasons might be the salinisation of the soil. Salinisation is also a factor that we as breeders can focus on by developing salt-tolerant varieties. And that’s exactly what we’re doing, you know. And then there’s the issue that growing later varieties is becoming increasingly risky. The longer the growing period, the more cultivation risks. This increases the importance of robust varieties that produce high yields in the shortest possible time. Our Orchestra, a firm table/baking potato, is a fine example of such a variety. It does what it needs to do in a short period of time; it germinates fast, has a good and strong root system, grows haulm rapidly, fills the tubers quickly and can therefore be harvested relatively quickly. Potato World 2017 • number 2 35 Pagina 34
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