Variety presentation 2012: in search of innovations CULTIVATION AND TECHNOLOGY It’s all about returns Pieter Boone of Interseed Holland in Dronten focuses particularly on the buyer in breeding innovation. ‘For the most part, we focus on the development of new French-fries varieties for which our starting-point is the processing industry. So, we first ask them what type of innovation they would like. This is quite a change when compared to the situation a few years ago when we started at the cultivation end. In those days, innovation was mainly aimed at an increase in the number of tons per hectare. Because the factories have increasingly specialised, you can no longer supply them with any variety. The entire cutting and frying processes are often adapted to a minimum number of varieties. They focus on returns. In 2012, factories ask the supplier: can you deliver 3,000 tons of this particular variety? It’s not always possible for growers to sell one variety to all processing plants. An example of a variety that’s been especially developed according to the wishes of the industry is the Miss Bianka. This is a variety that’s been selected by Stöver, the biggest French-fries manufacturer in Germany. It has big, long tubers with shallow eyes, so it scores a high cutting yield. Extra division for improved resistance to disease Resistance to disease is currently an important subject in the cultivation of seed potatoes, signals managing director Joris van der Lee of Agroplant in Medemblik. Partly because of this, the family business has recently added an extra division to the company in order to market minitubers and 1st, 2nd and 3rd year stock. Van der Lee regards this new activity as a real innovation for Agroplant. ‘Our company has now been in business for the past ten years and we’re trying to introduce innovations in all kinds of areas. This also applies to the variety division, whereby we’ve built up a solid collaboration with the Fobek breeding station and independent breeder Gerrit Beunk. Meanwhile, we’ve been able to take on board a few splendid varieties from their programmes. One of the youngest innovations from their list is the Picobello. We regard this as a finelooking table potato variety with a clear, smooth skin. The variety is also very suitable for the seed and consumption potato grower, because the Picobello has many regularlyshaped tubers and a range of resistances. The variety is now very popular with Dutch packaging companies as well as with those abroad (France). 14 Potato World 2013 • number 3 Pagina 13
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