Averis Seeds B.V., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Royal Avebe, will be working together with the hybrid potato breeding company Solynta on the hybrid breeding of starch potato varieties. Hybrid breeding facilitates significantly faster development of new sustainable potato varieties compared to conventional breeding.
Hybrid breeding is an important accelerator for making starch potato cultivation more sustainable because it allows for a faster response to challenges such as changing weather conditions and potato diseases that constantly adapt to resistances. Growing better varieties faster reduces the need for crop protection products, and yields can be increased while using fertilisers more effectively.
Johan Hopman, breeding & research manager at Averis, is pleased with the collaboration: “Now that we can see the successful results of hybrid breeding, the time has come to use this technique for breeding starch potato varieties as well.”
Potatoes and Hybrid Breeding
For over twelve years, Solynta has been working on obtaining Hybrid True Potato Seed: a technical revolution that enables faster breeding. Hybrid breeding makes it possible to better control the progress of varietal properties. Naturally occurring properties such as resistance to drought, pests and diseases can be quickly introgressed. The result is a significantly shorter development process and faster progress with the properties that are of value to Avebe’s growers.
“This collaboration brings together Averis’ specific knowledge of properties and genetics for starch potato cultivation with Solynta’s hybrid breeding platform, creating a continuous stream of ever-improving varieties for Avebe’s growers,” Director Research & Development Edwin van der Vossen of Solynta says.
