When it succeeds in making hybrid potato varieties from seed a commercial success, inventor Solynta has the means to radically change the seed potato sector. The company itself is not so afraid of that. The relationship with trading houses is good and it does not say goodbye to the potato tuber. Yet director Hein Kruyt may see the sector changing in a number of areas.
Wednesday 23 August Solynta presented its first multi-resistant hybrid potato variety to the press and science. The reliable parental line that underlies this is extremely important. Research into a hybrid variety from seed started in 2006. More companies, such as Bejo, KWS and HZPC, are now working on potatoes from seed.
In an earlier article op Boerenbusiness Solynta's hybrid potato has already been described in detail. Solynta director Hein Kruyt explains what their invention means for the seed potato sector.
You say that 25 grams of seed is comparable to 2.500 kilos of seed potato tubers. Is Solynta turning the entire seed potato sector upside down?
"We are not under the illusion that in the future all seed potatoes will be replaced by potato seed. This depends on a number of things, of which the climate is an important part. In Western Europe, the number of growing days is currently too short. We expect that seed potatoes may never be replaced in this part of the world. Especially for exports to distant destinations, for example Africa, we see that exporting seed is much more lucrative. In the long term, this export will disappear completely."
Seed potato exports to Africa amounted to almost 2016 tons in the 2017-184.000 season. The largest seed potato variety is Spunta. Replacing exports to Africa is extremely drastic. How do growers respond?
"Seed potato growers we speak to are positive and interested in the potato from seed. Our vision is that the potato will increasingly be seen as a vegetable. More and more demands are also being placed on it, because the industry is changing. Our vision of the future is that a ' dynamic model' is required, in which varieties quickly follow each other in 2 to 3 years. Growers can also keep some of the tubers from seed and plant them again. However, after a number of years the variety becomes outdated and there is a better variant available."
Many growers consciously choose varieties because they suit their company and working method. Isn't a new variety every 2-3 years very drastic?
"A new variety is not really new. Think of it as a new version. For example Bintje version 1, followed by version 2, version 3, etc. The variety properties remain the same and therefore also the cultivation advice. What is added is resistance to, for example, phytophthora or Colorado potato beetles. Being able to quickly cross resistances is the great strength of hybrid varieties. The big difference is that a potato grower suddenly no longer has to spray. This saves a lot of costs, because no farmer sprays for pleasure. That is why the interest is actually very great."
If the hybrid potato becomes the success you hope for, will Solynta control the sector through a monopoly position?
"Solynta is not a seed potato trading house, but a breeder. We are therefore in discussions with many trading houses. They would like to sell our varieties. For this we will work with licenses. A major advantage is that the entire seed potato requirement can be met within 1 year. Patents Applications for plant species are difficult in the EU. However, we expect that this will not endanger our revenue model. We believe the sector is large enough to offer sufficient room for competition. Solynta comes from the tomato world. There are approximately 20 serious companies worldwide in this sector. players active. The potato world is much bigger."
Apart from speed, why is it so important to export potato seed instead of seed potato tubers?
"The biggest advantage of seed is that it is clean. After 8 years of breeding varieties in the traditional way, diseases have always crept in. Diseases and nematodes can also be found in adherent soil. That is a major problem for seed potato exports. In addition, you export a large volume, which largely consists of water. In our view, the seed is grown locally into seed potatoes for that specific market. This presents a challenge for the trading companies. The cost price of potato seed is approximately equal to a tuber. The big difference, why a tuber is so much more expensive in Africa, you have to look at the margin that the transport sector makes. With the export of seed you eliminate this."