Next Generation Potatoes
The best defence against late blight
What is ‘Next Generation’ ?
Our Next Generation potato varieties have a natural protection against late blight, caused by “Phytophthora infestans”. This keeps our potatoes free from late blight for a longer period after planting, contributing to yield security. Plus it helps in saving crop protection products.
At Agrico, we started to research late blight resistant genes in 1985 and have increased our efforts since the year 2000.
Our goal is to find a more sustainable solution against late blight. We believe that our Next Generation potatoes are the future for potato farmers.
How does it work?
Imagine that late blight spores have to climb a mountain before they can infect the plant. The higher the mountain, the more difficult it is for the spores to reach the top, and the longer it takes to infect the crop. Next Generation varieties are like that mountain, they delay late blight infection and protect the crop.
A Genetic shield
Our Next Generation varieties currently have 5 different genes that offer natural late blight protection, representing mountains of different heights. Potatoes without these genes are similar to flat land with no mountains, which allows late blight to easily infect them, making them more susceptible to the disease.
- Varieties like Carolus, Nirvana, Twinner, Twister, Alouette, Ardeche and Levante are like the Ardennes, moderate protection.
- Beyonce, Sevilla, Fenna and Jacky are more like the Alps, offering strong protection.
The more resistance genes a variety has, the harder it is for late blight to break through.
Stay free from late blight
What are the benefits?
Multiple genes, diverse protection
There are several varieties of Next Generation potatoes. All varieties share enhanced protection against late blight, but they do not all contain the same gene. In total, five different genes are available in our current Next Generation varieties, that give protection against late blight.
This means that if late blight manages to infect a variety group with a specific gene, varieties with other genes remain protected. Thus, in such an event, only varieties with identical genes are at risk.
New season, new climb
Next Generation potatoes act in such a way that the late blight fungus must find a way to infect the crop once more in a new season. Even if the gene breaks down and your crop is infected in a given season, it does not mean that in the next season your crop is not protected again. Essentially, each season, late blight needs to climb the mountain again.
A sustainable solution
The natural protection of Next Generation varieties means that you need fewer crop protection products to keep your crop healthy, resulting in reduced loss of yields and lower input costs.
How does Next Generation differ from crop protection?
It is the combination that is successful
Since more and more crop protection products are forced to be withdrawn and since the remaining products increasingly suffer from losing their efficiency, managing the threat of late blight with crop protection products alone does not seem to offer a long-term solution. For optimal late blight protection, the best approach will come from combining Next Generation varieties with a reduced use of crop protection products.
Why resistance genes hold stronger
If crop protection products appear to have become less effective due to genetical changes in late blight, this situation tends to remain over seasons. As a consequence, the number of active ingredients in products available become even more limited. This leads to fewer options for managing late blight by crop protection products alone. The capacity of late blight to bypass recognition by the genes in Next Generation varieties is far less stable. So, late blight is forced to climb the mountain each season again. In other words, every season, your Next Generation variety starts with a clean slate.
What does the future hold?
Our goal is to cross multiple genes into one variety, forcing late blight to climb not one, but multiple mountains before it can infect the crop. This will make our Next Generation varieties stronger, resulting in a lower risk of crop failure or loss of yields, and even less use of crop protection products.
Let’s take the next step in potato cultivation and ensure that everyone in the potato value chain benefits from the Next Generation varieties.
Experiences worldwide
Curious what our customers say about their experiences? Read how growers around the world have benefited from using our Next Generation varieties.
Our Next Generation Potato Varieties
Alouette
An early maincrop, versatile red skin ware variety with late blight resistance in foliage and tuber, suitable for conventional and organic production.
Ardeche
An early maincrop starch variety with a good yield, natural protection against late blight in foliage and tuber, and suitable for the production of flakes.
Beyonce
An early maincrop crisping variety with a good dry matter content, suitable for long term storage and late blight resistance in foliage and tuber.
Carolus
An early maincrop, multipurpose ware variety with attractive red eyes and late blight resistance in foliage and tuber.
Jacky
A second early, small size ware variety with a high yield and late blight resistance in foliage and tuber.
Levante
An early maincrop high yielding ware variety with a nice yellow skin and late blight resistance in foliage and tuber.
Nirvana
Nirvana is an early maincrop processing variety suitable for the French fries industry, with late blight resistance.
Nofy
A maincrop starch variety with a good yield and resilient to late blight in foliage and tuber.
Twinner
Early yielding ware variety for conventional and organic cultivation with late blight resistance in foliage and tuber.
Twister
A second early ware variety for conventional and organic cultivation with a good yield and late blight resistant in foliage and tuber.
Would you like to know more about our Next Generation potatoes?
Our Next Generation varieties have a natural protection to the potato disease Phytophthora. The natural protection in our varieties contribute directly to growers’ yield security by significantly reducing the risk of crop failure. The varieties are the link between answering the global need for sustainability and increased yield security while maintaining excellent consumption characteristics.
If you have any specific questions or would like to know what Agrico can do for you with respect to the cooperative, please feel free to contact us.
