Combining newest research techniques and in-house knowledge brings Danespo new perspectives

November 01, 2022

‘Close cooperation with universities ensures that the newest research techniques are combined with our in-house breeding and deep market knowledge’, potato breeding company Danespo underlines.

‘Additional advantages of this cooperation with universities are the new ideas and perspectives we gain for our breeding work’, the company explains the developments in their breeding work in the run up to the Potato Variety Days 2022 (November 9-11, 2022).

Potato varieties for changing environment and customer demands

In 2018 the company built a new breeding station in Danespo to support the development of potato varieties suitable for the changing environment and changing customer demands. ‘We focused on building facilities that are special for potatoes and contribute to the cooperations outside our breeding station. We have a close and structured cooperation with the Danish universities in the development of breeding tools and a close cooperation with the R&D departments at our shareholders, DLF Seeds and Florimond Desprez’, Danespo describes.

Meeting challenges and future demand

The main focus in Danespo’s breeding program is to meet the challenges of environmental changes as well as the future demand for low input agriculture without compromising yield and quality. ‘This focus has been a high priority for several years involving water efficiency, heat and drought tolerance, nitrogen efficiency as well as disease resistances in order to select robust varieties. This is carried out by using new selection techniques such as advanced root analysis, thermal imaging as well as genomic selection and traditional field trials.’ Danespo for example uses the state-of-the-art RadiMax root research facility at the University of Copenhagen in their research on improved drought resistance.

Potato Variety Days 2022 e-book

In November, companies participating in the Potato Variety Days put the spotlight on their potato varieties of the future. Learn all the ins and outs of this year’s event in our special e-book, including need-to-know information and an up-to-date list of participating companies. We also ask all potato professionals to let us know what they find the most important topic(s) when it comes to breeding the potato varieties of the future. Don’t forget to write down your answer to this question when you fill in the form to download our free e-book!

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