TRADE AND MARKET I NG Italy: ideal testing ground for Dutch potato breeding but these fortunately also serve as parasol. In contrast to years ago, perhaps the most important reason for the enormous decrease in acreage – the demand for quality – is again the dominant factor in the potato growing areas, Dijk starts his explanation. We no longer want water balls, but potatoes that are equal to or better than Agata. Good food, that’s what it’s all about for the Italians and that should also be the case when it comes to potatoes. Furthermore, much more attention is being paid to sustainability. This mainly involves reducing transport movements in order to contribute to CO2 reduction. The solution is to grow for the region and thus reduce imports, also from other regions in Italy. This is still a long way off, but it’s the aim, which is mainly boosted by the country’s supermarkets. All this calls for new varieties. To have a chance in Italy, these must be high-flyers compared to the already existing varieties. Because seed potatoes quickly become too expensive for growers. And that’s not all that expensive. Like in the east near Bari, cultivation costs are at least 8,000 euros per hectare. In general, the hectare yields are slightly higher. This is partly due to the very fertile red volcanic soil, which in turn is due to the nearby famous and also notorious Vesuvius. That soil quality also has its As soon as Jeffrey Dijk (left) starts to describe the varieties individually, the breeders take out their notebooks. In his opinion, they can write down straightaway that climate change is going to play a major role in the breeding activities in this region and beyond, in the coming years. Temperatures are rising and the intensity of rainfall is increasing As soon as Dijk starts to describe these varieties individually, the breeders take out their notebooks. In his opinion, they can write down straight away that climate change is going to play a major role in breeding activities in this region and beyond, in the coming years. In the breeders’ trial field, all the numbers and varieties are from a cooking type that is ‘What consumers don’t like, and neither do we, is the brown discolouration that develops after a while. There’s room for improvement, we know that.’ price. The hectare prices here vary from 80,000 to 150,000 euros, Provvisiero confirms. So, if you want to get a foothold here as a breeding company, new varieties need to bring in quite a bit extra. According to Dijk, this will certainly be possible with varieties from Dutch growers, with various results from breeders in the present group being found in the trial field. mainly destined for the North African market. ‘What has been noticeable in the countries around the Mediterranean Sea in recent years, and so also in Italy, is that the intensity of the rainfall is increasing and temperatures are rising.’ The breeders are witnessing the consequences of both right here and now. ‘What does it mean for the breeding work’, Dijk wonders aloud: ‘that varieties that are doing well now will no longer be interesting in 20 years’ time? In short, they have a shorter lifespan. If we want to have varieties that last as long as possible, then robustness is required. And by that I don’t mean Phytophthora resistance, but a variety that just keeps on doing its job at 40 degrees in the sun. This requires, among other things, varieties that are strong in foliage and root system and can also root deeply.’ As a striking example of such a variety he mentions Arizona. In drought situations, it can take moisture out of the soil for longer than many other varieties. So what Dijk emphasises once again is that Italy is an important test base for varieties in a large area such as all countries in southern Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. As a striking example in making choices he mentions the Vogue variety from the Könst Research potato breeding company of Nieuw-Vennep, which is in the trial phase. ‘That seemed initially to be a good candidate for the Spunta market, but turned out not to be a high-flyer. That was that, we thought, until an Italian trader from Sicily spotted the variety, where we were trialling it and saw its potential, but then on a very different level, namely as a first-early variety in Italy. The variety bulks very 32 Potato World 2018 • number 3 Pagina 35
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