TRADE AND MARKE T ING New Van Rijn KWS imperium does all their breeding themselves The breeding station at the Gildenweg in Emmeloord has boasted a new name plate on the door since this summer. It is no longer the varieties for trading company Van Rijn that are developed here. It is now Van Rijn KWS. The joint venture with the German breeding station KWS, known for their sugar beet, cereals and maize, has, in actual fact, only advantages, says potato breeder Peter Oldenkamp. ‘We give each other a boost, in breeding and in the market’, explains the enthusiastic breeder. KWS has many breeding facilities and branches all over the world, as a result of which we can actually achieve the progress in potato breeding we need to achieve in the years to come’, is Oldenkamp’s opinion. ‘We can’t go fast enough with the present technology. By using new technology such as marker technology to the full, now and in the future, complicated resistances can be tested faster in new and in existing varieties. The KWS laboratories are extremely modern and geared towards breeding. This also means that this information will be exclusively and immediately available to us. That is an important commercial advantage. As we have been doing at Van Rijn’s for years, at KWS the breeding station works for the furtherance of breeding itself. It’s not the technical fireworks that are important, but the results of the breeding work. ‘Potato breeding is what it’s all about in our company’, continues Oldenkamp enthusiastically. ‘Our breeders are the key figures and that means that we are right in the centre of things. It’s not technology in itself that’s important, but the application of technology in the development of varieties. We now have state-of-the-art facilities and equipment, so that we can set up an integral breeding programme fully independently. We also invest in knowledge, in which we differ from Wageningen University, where knowledged staff often leaves already after a few years. As a result, continuity at that university breaks down in their development and spectacular new developments are seriously delayed. What we are currently focusing on are varieties that are very productive in sub-tropical climates. This means that we breed varieties that are able to grow without a lot of water or nitrogen and that can handle a high level of sunshine. As a result of the current climate change, Peter Oldenkamp: “We are not moving fast enough with the present breeding techniques.” these areas will increase and, with this, the need for appropriate varieties will also increase. It is then important that the product that is harvested can also be used for larger areas. Problems with Phytophthora, Early blight, Rhizoctonia, for example, must be resolved to reach this objective. To bring these resistances into the varieties, we are currently drawing up an extensive inventory of the respective gene pools in the various countries.’ Collaboration is also being sought in commerce wherever possible. An example, according to Oldenkamp, is the recent introduction of the Santana and Ramos varieties in Russia. ‘Van Rijn had not actively explored that country yet, but KWS has a large network and many trial fields there. The cultivation of new varieties is becoming increasingly important. I foresee that the Netherlands will continue to carry out the variety development and the cultivation of high-quality seed. The cultivation of user seed will more often be carried out in the country of destination, to cut back transport-related costs as much as possible.’ Den Hartigh goes for Pallida resistance With a new director at the helm in the person of Bernhard Krijger, the structure of variety presentation at Den Hartigh IJsselmeerpolders was different compared to earlier years. The row with new varieties included some Jacob Eising: “Crossing Pallida resistance is a difficult matter.” four likely candidates with Pallida resistance. Crossing with Pallida resistance is a difficult matter, according to breeder Jacob Eising. The wild Solanum Verneï species has many resistances against the Pallida nematode. However, it also has an unattractive property. After boiling, the potatoes often show discoloured patches and they turn grey after deepfrying. Now, fifty years after the Plant Breeding Foundation started to cross with S. Verneï, we have found four consumption varieties that can defend themselves against Pallida and do not possess this discolouration property. For the first-earlies market this is the Laperia, the Spanish term for pearl. La Perla is also an area in the region of origin of the potato in Peru. After 60 to 90 days, this variety produces a high yield, which makes it particularly suitable for first-early regions. The Lanorma catches the eye on account of its beautifully-transparent skin. This variety has high yields and fits in with the early crop in many European countries. For the chips market, Den 12 Potato World 2009 • number 1 Pagina 11
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