The Netherlands
Jul5 25, 2011
At the conference of the European Association of Potato Research (EAPR) starting today, the Dutch company Solynta will present their breakthrough in potato breeding.
Pim Lindhout (Solynta) will give a lecture entitled "A new Paradigm in Potato breeding" detailing the achievements of Solynta and highlight the unprecedented consequences for potato breeding, propagation, farming, processing and consumption.
Potato breeding is a slow process. Although many new varieties have been developed, today's potato industry is still dominated by two potato varieties that were developed early last century: Bintje (1904) in Europe and Russet Burbank (1914) in North America.
Genetic improvement in potato is hampered by the fact that potato is a tetraploid (4 sets of chromosomes). Alternatively, severe inbreeding depression and self-incompatibility in diploid germplasm has hitherto blocked the development of inbred lines.
Recently a gen was discovered (Sli) that prevented inbreeding depression in diploid potato lines. However, no good agronomic properties were obtained.
Diploid potato germplasm
Solynta made many crosses between a potato line that contained the recently identified gen (SlI) and diploid incompatible germplasm with good agronomic performance, that has been generated during the last thirty years at Wageningen University (Hutten, 1994).
By testing dozens of F2 populations and crosses of selected self-compatible F2 plant with the germplasm core collection, highly inbred lines were developed that combined self-compatibility with a good agronomic performance.
This enables the development of F1 hybrid potato lines, which by most was considered unrealistic so far.
This (non-GMO!) technology offers the perspective of a much faster breeding process and the ability to incorporate newly found traits in a much shorter time.
It also opens up new possibilities for propagation of potatoes using seed instead of tubers.
Solynta has applied for a patent for their technology.
Download presentation: “A new paradigm in potato breeding” given at EAPR meeting
Solynta presenteert doorbraak in aardappelveredeling tijdens EAPR
Op het EAPR congres dat vandaag begint in Oulu, Finland, presenteert Pim Lindhout, Solynta: A new paradigm in potato breeding.
Het bedrijf Solynta is er in geslaagd om in nauwe samenwerking met de Wageningen Universiteit inteeltlijnen van aardappel te ontwikkelen, die een hoge mate van homozygotie combineren met goede knol-eigenschappen.
Dit is een doorbraak in de aardappelveredeling, omdat de algemene opinie was dat inteeltdepressie in aardappel de ontwikkeling van dergelijke lijnen onmogelijk maakt.
Deze vinding, waarop een patent is aangevraagd, maakt het in principe mogelijk om F1 hybride aardappelrassen te ontwikkelen. Dit opent goede perspectieven om aardappel sneller te veredelen, nieuwe eigenschappen in korte tijd te introduceren en nieuwe producten te maken.
Bovendien kan er in één generatie voldoende zaad, dat ziektevrij is en van hoge kwaliteit, geproduceerd worden om aan de (wereldwijde) vraag van nieuwe F1 hybride rassen te voldoen.
“A new paradigm in potato breeding”
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