Meijer Potato launches robustness index

February 18, 2022

With the potato being the third largest food crop in the world, the breeding company believes robust potato varieties are necessary to provide a growing world population with healthy food in the face of climate change.

Providing focus

With the index, the company aims to allow users to compare the robustness of varieties. ‘In this way we can present all our collected data on new and existing varieties to our customers in a clear manner and thus provide the right focus in the different areas where our varieties grow,’ commercial director Johan van der Stee told PotatoWorld magazine during the Potato Variety Days 2021.

Seven items

The robustness index includes seven items made up of different variety characteristics: marketable yield, climate adaptation, soil adaptation, crop protection efficiency, fertilizer efficiency, water efficiency and storability. By varying the importance of these items in the digital tool, the customer can select the most suitable variety in a more targeted manner.

Smaller chance of mistakes

‘We want to use the index to ensure that the chance of mistakes is much smaller. That is very important nowadays, as cultivation is becoming more and more expensive and the market is becoming more demanding,’ the commercial director emphasized. Van der Stee also has a next step in mind: ‘Based on a list of requirements, we want customers to be presented with a variety that fits their company perfectly. And, we can also use such a list as input for the focus of our breeding program.’

You may also be interested in:

The National Potato Program and its Contribution to Potato Industry Advancement in China

The World Potato Congress Inc. is pleased to present the Webinar: The National Potato Program and its Contribution to Potato Industry Advancement in China” by Jin Liping, April 3, 2024 at 8:00 am Eastern Standard Time (USA/Canada).

War in Israel also has major impact on potato sector

On last Saturday October 7, Israel was attacked from the Gaza Strip by members of the terrorist organisation Hamas, also affecting many kibbutzim. In the process, hundreds of people were injured, killed and taken hostage. The consequences are a war with great impact for residents in the region, the world and also for the potato…

Origin of novel broad resistance to late blight found in wild potato relatives

To understand the mechanisms of late blight resistance of potatoes better, researchers of Wageningen University & Research together with their colleagues in Tübingen and Norwich have taken an important step. Their research has been published in the renowned scientific journal Science.

ADAPT field trials across Europe in search of multiple-stress tolerant potatoes

The European Potato Trade Association Europatat recently announced that for the Horizon 2020 EU project Accelerated Development of multiple-stress tolerAnt PoTato (ADAPT), trials are currently being conducted in the Netherlands, Serbia, and Austria.