Opinion

March 21, 2023 | Articles

Water: the number 1 necessity of life!

We see at the moment that society is paying a lot of attention to the costs of gas and electricity, migrant movements, the war between Russia and Ukraine, nitrogen, CO₂, and there are a few more items I could name. However, I miss WATER in this list. I think that people are hardly aware that…

March 21, 2023 | Articles

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Innovation, or the process by which ideas lead to a creative approach to a given challenge, is the basis of the success of the Western European potato chain.

December 21, 2022 | Articles

Maintain Phytophthora resistance for future generations

Phytophthora is a difficult problem to deal with. Especially for organic farming where no synthetic crop protection products may be used, which is why Bionext has labeled a first generation of resistant varieties as ‘Robust’. This sounds promising, but there is still a great danger in this approach. The first generation of resistant varieties is…

December 21, 2022 | Articles

Giffen paradox

The World Potato Congress (WPC) recently took place in Ireland, where, of course, we were also present. A visit to this potato-loving country is not possible without learning about the Famine, the largest ever Phytophthora outbreak.

September 28, 2022 | Articles

Brushing up on knowledge

This summer, I cycled from my home to Santiago de Compostella. A wonderful experience to be on the road alone for a long time, to meet a wide range of people and also to get to know myself in a new way. Both physically and mentally.

September 28, 2022 | Articles

No genetic progress without a healthy sector

At the end of May, during the World Potato Congress in Dublin, I had the opportunity to meet many colleagues from the sector. This congress, which is organised (officially) every three years, brings potato science and technology closer to growers, breeders, traders and the processing industry.