News seed potatoes
Reduction percentage follow-up is 31 percent
The follow-up inspection of seed potatoes at the NAK is as good as completed. The results show many virus reactions and the national reduction percentage is just under 31%. Despite the many re-checks and the later start, the follow-up check went well.
Earlier in the autumn, the percentage was still 35%, but ultimately 31% was reduced in class according to the Dutch General Inspection Service (NAK). This leaves behind the record year of 2019, when there was a 35,6% reduction in class. According to Jeroen Winkelhorst, technical coordinator at the NAK, the number of processed samples is reasonably in line with 2019. This amounted to around 42.500 samples.
51% reduction in class S
The follow-up inspection went well despite the fact that it started later and many re-inspections were requested. "We are in a final phase, some sampling is still being done, but it is not much. In other years we focus on week 46 and this year that was week 48. Due to the later season, we also started two weeks later and you can now see that at the end," Winkelhorst explains. While many urgent requests were also made for varieties that had priority with, for example, overseas export destinations and were available on time. It also became clear that seed potatoes this growing season are generally longer and more deformed, which meant that testing took more time. As a result, it sometimes took longer than normal before results were announced.
The highest reduction takes place in class S with 51%, compared to 37% a year earlier. A total of 3,1% was also rejected, which is higher than previous years.
The reductions are not that bad this year, but are probably due to a combination of circumstances in this growing season. After the late planting due to the wet spring, the early and very heavy aphid pressure came when the plants were barely above the surface. At that time, infection was already occurring frequently. Due to the small plants, but also the drought, virus plants were hardly visible, causing virus transmission to take place. In July, a particularly large amount of primary was found in various breeds, which suggested that the follow-up inspection could often be disappointing.
Jesse Torringa
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