CULTIVATION AND TECHNOLOGY Variety presentation 2012: in search of innovations AM is our innovation The innovation of potato trader TPC in Emmeloord is AM, Jo Bus confirms. ‘Also, we’re happy to have a few breeding lines with high resistance. Our latest innovation is the Toronto. This is a French-fry variety that is highly suitable for long storage. And, yes, it has an extremely high resistance to potato cyst nematode (A, B, C, D, E, F and G). Mind you, we’re talking about all the pathotypes. And that’s naturally something we’re very proud of. The Toronto is also suitable as a table potato, and does very well in Spain; it’s marketed as a washed, fresh and packaged product. Yet, because of its high AM resistance, we initially expect this variety to do particularly well in the Netherlands. In many regions, the nematode is becoming an increasing problem, both to the seed and consumption grower. If you have a variety with strong AM resistance, you can alternate it with less resistant varieties in your cropping plan. Leave the thinking to the customer ‘What innovation means to us?’ André Postma of the Kooij selection company in Leeuwarden has to think about that for a while. After a short silence he says: ‘Innovation, that’s the step we took years ago when we started to breed our own varieties. When you look at it, you see that innovation is a continuous process. You take new steps in breeding every year. The important thing with this is not to think for yourself, but leave that to the customer. I’ll give an example. If you see an oddly-shaped tuber between the crossings, you could decide to throw it out because most people want nice, round-oval potatoes. But it could be that, if that tuber has a good colour and so on, someone else, in Italy, for example, may be interested in it. This means that you need to step out and then let the customer decide. Our current novelty is a Fobek idea, which is the Obama. This is an early table potato with a lovely smooth skin and a very good taste. It’s also a variety that’s easy to peel. The Obama is therefore a versatile table potato. We currently have 6 hectares of seed under cultivation, which will be 22 hectares next year, and we hope to grow 100 hectares in two years’ time. This is not our expectation, but that of the customer.’ 18 Potato World 2013 • number 3 Pagina 17
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