Potatoes⦠- Bayer CropScience
Potatoes⦠- Bayer CropScience Potatoes⦠- Bayer CropScience
COURIER The Bayer CropScience Magazine for Modern Agriculture 1/08 The Potato: A crop with prospects
- Page 2 and 3: Contents 2 Asia is the new continen
- Page 4 and 5: achieved in New Zealand - more than
- Page 6 and 7: Bayer CropScience supports China’
- Page 8 and 9: The potato - In many parts of the w
- Page 10 and 11: Potatoes contribute important nutri
- Page 12 and 13: The UK Potato Project - Participati
- Page 14 and 15: Agrico and HZPC on the future of Du
- Page 16 and 17: This is HZPC HZPC Holland B.V. came
- Page 18 and 19: Phytophthora infestans is becoming
- Page 20 and 21: Life cycle of Phytophthora infestan
- Page 22 and 23: Colorado potato beetle and aphids -
- Page 24 and 25: “Wanted poster“ for the Colorad
- Page 26 and 27: Potatoes… from Peru to the world
- Page 28 and 29: Potato starch - a versatile commodi
- Page 30 and 31: Some examples of the use of starch
- Page 32: Nature and technology Adhesives are
COURIER<br />
The <strong>Bayer</strong> <strong>CropScience</strong> Magazine for Modern Agriculture 1/08<br />
The Potato:<br />
A crop with<br />
prospects
Contents<br />
2 Asia is the new continent for<br />
potatoes<br />
6 <strong>Bayer</strong> <strong>CropScience</strong> supports<br />
China’s potato development<br />
8 The potato – versatile<br />
and nutritious<br />
12 The UK Potato Project –<br />
Participation that paid off<br />
14 ‘Innovation and knowledge<br />
determine our success’<br />
18 Phytophthora infestans is<br />
becoming increasingly<br />
aggressive<br />
21 New combination of active<br />
substances against potato blight<br />
22 Colorado beetle and aphids –<br />
threatening, but manageable<br />
26 Potatoes…<br />
from Peru to the world<br />
28 Potato starch –<br />
a versatile commodity<br />
Asia is the<br />
new contine<br />
for potatoes<br />
Published by: <strong>Bayer</strong> <strong>CropScience</strong> AG, Monheim / Editor:<br />
Bernhard Grupp / With contributions from: Agroconcept<br />
GmbH, K. Doughty, S. Rudolph, A. Schirring, C. Wang,<br />
M. Wiedenau / Design and Layout: Xpertise, Langenfeld /<br />
Litho graphy: LSD GmbH & Co. KG, Düsseldorf / Printed by:<br />
Dynevo GmbH, Leverkusen / Repro duction of contents is<br />
per missible providing <strong>Bayer</strong> is acknowl edged and advised<br />
by specimen copy / Editor’s address: <strong>Bayer</strong> <strong>CropScience</strong><br />
AG, Corporate Commu ni cations, Alfred-Nobel-Str. 50,<br />
40789 Monheim am Rhein, Germany, FAX: 0049-2173-<br />
383454 / Website: www.bayercropscience.com<br />
Forward-Looking Statements<br />
This publication may contain forward-looking statements<br />
based on current assumptions and forecasts made by<br />
<strong>Bayer</strong> Group or subgroup management. Various known and<br />
unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead<br />
to material differences between the actual future results,<br />
financial situation, development or performance of the<br />
company and the estimates given here. These factors<br />
include those discussed in <strong>Bayer</strong>’s public reports which are<br />
available on the <strong>Bayer</strong> website at www.bayer.com. The<br />
company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these<br />
forward-looking statements or to conform them to future<br />
events or developments.<br />
Today, the potato is grown in 130 countries,<br />
on all continents of the world. Asia<br />
und Oceania have now overtaken Europe<br />
as the world’s most important producers. In<br />
2007, 320 million tonnes of potatoes were<br />
harvested from around 19.2 million ha of<br />
land around the world. The areas of greatest<br />
production are Asia (8.7 million ha under<br />
cultivation) and continental Europe<br />
(7.4 million ha). Within the latter region,<br />
cultivation is concentrated in the Russian<br />
Federation, the European Union, and the<br />
Ukraine.<br />
During the last two decades, potatogrowing<br />
has declined in developed countries,<br />
but it has seen an increase in developing<br />
countries and newly-industrialising<br />
countries – particularly in Asia. This<br />
change has resulted not only from an<br />
extension of the area under cultivation,<br />
but also through a broader inclusion of<br />
potatoes in the rotation system, which has<br />
been made possible by the availability of<br />
early-ripening varieties. With a vegetative<br />
period of 80 to 100 days, these varieties<br />
fit well into cultivation gaps between<br />
traditional crops, for example between rice<br />
and wheat in India.<br />
The cultivation methods used in developing<br />
countries and newly-industrialising<br />
countries vary considerably according to<br />
grow ing conditions and market circumstances.<br />
In the Andes, Central Africa and<br />
the Himalayas, potatoes are grown by hand<br />
on small subsistence farms. But in most of<br />
the other regions, cultivation is largely<br />
mechanised.<br />
South America, the continent that<br />
originally gave the world the potato, is now<br />
in fact the region with the smallest potato<br />
2 COURIER 1/08
World potato production 1991-2007<br />
(in million tonnes)<br />
Blue: developed countries<br />
Orange: developing countries<br />
World potato production 1991-2007<br />
Blue: developed countries<br />
Orange: developing countries<br />
200<br />
150<br />
100<br />
nt<br />
50<br />
0<br />
Countries<br />
1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007<br />
million tonnes<br />
❚ Developed 183.13 199.31 177.47 174.63 165.93 166.94 160.97 159.99 155.53<br />
❚ Developing 84.86 101.95 108.50 128.72 135.15 145.92 152.11 160.12 165.13<br />
WORLD 257.25 301.27 285.97 303.36 301.08 312.86 313.09 320.11 320.67<br />
Source: FAOSTAT<br />
harvest (less than 16 million tonnes in<br />
2006 and 2007). Traditionally, potatoes are<br />
grown on small family farms in the Peruvian<br />
Andes. However, potato cultivation<br />
has increased in recent years in Argentina,<br />
Brazil, Columbia and Mexico, where the impetus<br />
for expansion has come from larger<br />
farm-owners, often working together with<br />
breeding organisations.<br />
Fast Food leads the way<br />
in the USA<br />
In 2007, the USA harvested 17.6 million<br />
tonnes, making it the fifth-largest potato<br />
producer in the world. Cultivation is<br />
concentrated in the following states: Idaho,<br />
Washington, Wisconsin, North Dakota and<br />
Colorado. Only a third of all potatoes produced<br />
in the USA is destined for consumption<br />
as fresh produce: around 60% is either<br />
processed into frozen foods such as French<br />
fries, or is made into crisps and starch.<br />
The remaining 6% is retained as seed for<br />
planting.<br />
Canada lies in 12th place on the FAO<br />
list of world producers, with around 5 million<br />
tonnes of production. This reflects a steady<br />
increase since the 1990s that has been driven<br />
by the international export demand for<br />
processed potato products. Thirty-seven<br />
percent of the harvest goes into processing<br />
for export: the biggest customer here is the<br />
USA.<br />
Giants of potato production –<br />
China and India<br />
The combined region of Asia and Oceania<br />
is the world leader in potato production.<br />
The People’s Republic of China produced<br />
72 million tonnes in 2007 (more than<br />
a fifth of the world’s harvest) on around<br />
5 million ha, the world’s largest area under<br />
cultivation (25% of the total). Nevertheless,<br />
potato cultivation is less widespread<br />
in China than maize- and sweet potatogrowing:<br />
the latter crops are used as the<br />
basis for animal feed, whereas the potato is<br />
used mainly for human nutrition (30 kg per<br />
person per year according to FAO figures).<br />
Potato production in India has increased<br />
more than eight-fold within the last<br />
30 years. Today, with its annual harvest of<br />
26 million tonnes, India is the world’s<br />
third-largest producer.<br />
Australia and New Zealand are among<br />
the smaller potato-producing nations, with<br />
a major part of the harvest going into<br />
processing. Impressively high yields are<br />
1/08 COURIER 3
achieved in New Zealand – more than<br />
45 tonnes per ha on average, and up to a<br />
maximum of 70 tonnes. The potato is<br />
among the New Zealanders’ favourite vegetables,<br />
and this is reflected in the figure<br />
for consumption per head – 66 kg a year.<br />
Russia is continental Europe’s<br />
potato king<br />
Until the 20th century, continental Europe<br />
was easily the world’s largest producer of<br />
potatoes. Today, seven European countries<br />
still rank among the world’s ten largest<br />
producers. The leader of the pack is<br />
Russia, with production at 35.7 million<br />
tonnes a year from an area of around 3 million<br />
ha (2006 figure). Second place goes to<br />
the Ukraine, with around 19 million tonnes<br />
from 1.5 million ha. Despite the large<br />
harvests they produce, these two Eastern-<br />
European heavyweights hardly feature at<br />
all as export countries: even today, a large<br />
proportion of the harvest is still lost as the<br />
result of diseases and unsuitable storage<br />
conditions.<br />
With its harvest of 11.6 million tonnes<br />
in 2007, Germany is Europe’s number<br />
three potato producer, and number six in<br />
the world. Despite a 30% decrease in<br />
production and harvested yield over the<br />
last 30 years, Germany remains the largest<br />
Top potato producers<br />
Quantity (tonnes), 2007<br />
1. China 72,000,000<br />
2. Russian Fed. 35,718,000<br />
3. India 26,280,000<br />
4. Ukraine 19,102,300<br />
5. USA 17,653,920<br />
6. Germany 11,604,500<br />
7. Poland 11,221,100<br />
8. Belarus 8,700,000<br />
9. Netherlands 7,200,000<br />
10. France 6,271,000<br />
kg per capita, 2006<br />
1. Belarus 835.6<br />
2. Netherlands 425.1<br />
3. Ukraine 414.8<br />
4. Denmark 291.1<br />
5. Latvia 286.0<br />
6. Poland 271.5<br />
7. Belgium 267.4<br />
8. Lithuania 261.2<br />
9. Russian Fed. 259.0<br />
10. Kyrgyzstan 219.4<br />
producer in Western Europe. The harvest is<br />
used as follows: 6.5 million tonnes become<br />
processed foods and 3.3 million tonnes are<br />
destined for starch production for the domestic<br />
market; a further 3.3 million tonnes<br />
of fresh potatoes and processed products<br />
are exported. Germany is also the numberone<br />
importer of early potatoes for eating –<br />
around 550.000 tonnes (2005 figure),<br />
mainly from France, Italy and Egypt.<br />
The third-largest Eastern European producer<br />
is Poland, with around 11 million<br />
tonnes harvested from around 600,000 ha.<br />
Poland has slipped to 10th place in the<br />
world ranking 2006 as the result of a<br />
decline in production in recent years and<br />
due to adverse weather conditions. But<br />
potatoes are still produced on more than<br />
2 million small-scale farms, representing<br />
about 10% of the agricultural area. Half of<br />
the harvest ends up in animal feed; only a<br />
quarter is used for food production.<br />
Constant level of production<br />
in Holland<br />
The Netherlands has a special place in<br />
European potato cultivation. While the<br />
area of cultivation in Europe as a whole<br />
continues to fall, it remains constant in<br />
Holland. The root crop occupies a quarter of<br />
Dutch agricultural land, and Dutch farmers<br />
achieve record yields of more than 45 tonnes<br />
per ha. Only one half of production is destined<br />
for consumption: 20% is reserved as<br />
seed, and the remaining 30% goes to starch<br />
production. Holland is the world’s premier<br />
producer of certified seed potatoes, with<br />
exports of 700,000 tonnes a year.<br />
France is the leading European exporter<br />
of fresh potatoes (1.5 million tonnes in<br />
2006), especially to Southern Europe.<br />
Some two million tonnes are destined for<br />
the domestic market and one million<br />
tonnes for the processing industry.<br />
With a harvest of around 3.3 million<br />
tonnes, Belgium is among the smaller<br />
European producers, but its farmers are<br />
nevertheless capable of achieving high<br />
yields (around 43 tonnes per ha). More<br />
than 80% of production is processed to<br />
crisps, French fries, starch and other products,<br />
of which more than 1 million tonnes<br />
(2006 figure) are exported.<br />
Diversity of uses<br />
Potatoes are suited to a large variety of<br />
nutritional and technical uses. Less than<br />
50% of the global potato harvest is consumed<br />
in the form of the fresh vegetable.<br />
The largest proportion goes into processing<br />
and refining for food products and food additives.<br />
A significant amount is either used<br />
as the basis for feed for cattle and pigs, or<br />
is processed to starch for industrial use.<br />
Finally, a smaller proportion is retained as<br />
seed potatoes for the following season.<br />
The global trend in terms of consumption<br />
is moving away from the potato as a<br />
basic, staple food, with a shift towards<br />
refined, processed products. The most common<br />
form of processed potatoes is French<br />
fries, as offered in fast food restaurants<br />
around the world. Production is widely<br />
standardized: peeled potatoes are cut into<br />
strips, heated, air-dried, fried, frozen and<br />
finally, packaged. The annual global turn -<br />
over of industrially-prepared French fries is<br />
in the order of more than 11 million tonnes.<br />
Potato flakes and granules are produced<br />
by drying the raw potato down to a water<br />
content of 5 to 8%. These are used as food<br />
additives or in potato products for the convenience<br />
food sector. Further dried potato<br />
products include potato flour and potato<br />
powder. These products are gluten-free,<br />
with a high starch content. Potato flour is<br />
used widely by the food industry as a binding<br />
agent for prepared meals and soups.<br />
Compared with starches from wheat and<br />
maize, potato starch is almost tasteless,<br />
and shows stronger binding properties. Potatoes<br />
are also fermented to allow<br />
the distillation of alcohol, particularly in<br />
Eastern Europe and Scandinavia: vodka<br />
and aquavit are two well-known examples.<br />
Potato starch is also used widely in the<br />
pharmaceutical, textile, wood and paper<br />
industries as a binding agent and to<br />
provide structure.<br />
4 COURIER 1/08
Potato production by region 2007<br />
Potato boom in Asia<br />
In Asian countries (particularly China and<br />
India), the level of potato consumption has<br />
increased many times over within a relatively<br />
short period. This is attributable not<br />
only to population growth, but also to<br />
changing consumer preferences. Citydwellers<br />
in particular see the potato as a<br />
valuable food with a modern, western<br />
touch, so economic growth tends to<br />
increase demand. In contrast, demand for<br />
potatoes in Western Europe and other industrialised<br />
countries has tended to decline<br />
over the years, although the decline appears<br />
to have slowed recently.<br />
Globally speaking, potato consumption<br />
is set to increase further in the future.<br />
It is expected to exceed 400 million tonnes<br />
by the year 2020, an increase of about a<br />
quarter over today’s levels. The European<br />
potato industry should take a careful look<br />
at the potato sector in developing countries<br />
– not only for humanitarian reasons, but<br />
also from an economic point of view.<br />
While the demand for potatoes is stagnating<br />
here in Europe, markets in Asia are expanding<br />
rapidly. Similar trends should also<br />
be expected from Africa und Latin America<br />
in the medium term. International trade<br />
in potatoes and potato products is con -<br />
tinuously on the increase, so a significant<br />
export potential exists for European<br />
industry.<br />
Production quantity<br />
This also applies to breeding. The major<br />
breeding companies are focussing increasingly<br />
on the Asian market. An adage of<br />
potato marketing is that if everybody in<br />
China and Asia were to eat only a single,<br />
small packet of crisps (100 g) once a year,<br />
world potato production wouldn’t be able<br />
to meet the demand. For comparison, the<br />
average annual consumption of crisps in<br />
the USA is 3,000 g, and in Germany<br />
around 1,000 g per person. ■<br />
Harvested area Quantity Yield<br />
hectares tonnes tonnes/hectares<br />
Africa 1,503,145 16,308,530 10.84<br />
Asia/Oceania 8,742,257 137,142,946 15.68<br />
Europe 7,439,553 128,608,372 17.28<br />
Latin America 962,494 15,986,155 16.60<br />
North America 614,972 22,625,958 40.63<br />
WORLD 19,262,421 320,671,961 16.64<br />
Source: FAOSTAT<br />
Mechthilde Becker-Weigel<br />
wirtschaftsdienst agrar
<strong>Bayer</strong> <strong>CropScience</strong><br />
supports China’s<br />
potato development<br />
China is the world’s largest potato-growing<br />
country: with 5 million hectares under<br />
cultivation in 2007, it accounted for<br />
25% of the world’s total production.<br />
Eighty-five percent of China’s growing<br />
area is distributed in the North (single<br />
cropping) and South-West (double<br />
cropping) of the country. The average yield<br />
per hectare is about 16 tonnes. Currently,<br />
most of China’s potato production is used<br />
fresh for eating (60%); processing to potato<br />
chips, French fries and fast-frozen food<br />
only accounts for about 10%.<br />
The development of China’s potato<br />
market has been hampered by a lack of<br />
access to various technologies: only 25%<br />
of planted seed potatoes are certified<br />
virus-free, and only 1% of farmers use<br />
machinery in potato production. In addition,<br />
most farmers lack knowledge of pest<br />
and disease control methodology.<br />
But things are changing. As the 5th<br />
largest crop in China, the potato is gaining<br />
in importance. The yield per unit area of<br />
rice, corn and wheat is not expected to increase<br />
due to technology limitations. The<br />
potato can yield three to four times as much<br />
as these crops per hectare – and it is also<br />
more drought-resistant than rice and wheat.<br />
As 60% of China’s arable land is dry, potato<br />
growing is regarded by the government as<br />
one of the best ways of meeting the<br />
increasing food demand of 1.3 billion<br />
people, as well as a good opportunity for<br />
farmers to improve their income. With<br />
strong support from the government, the<br />
potato-planting area is expected to increase<br />
further to 6.6 million hectares; the use of<br />
Trucks loaded with<br />
potatoes at a<br />
purchasing station in<br />
Xiji county, North-West<br />
China.<br />
6 COURIER 1/08
virus-free seed potatoes will also be encouraged.<br />
In terms of usage, processing into<br />
potato chips, French fries and fast-frozen<br />
food will have increased strongly by 2010.<br />
Modern solutions<br />
<strong>Bayer</strong> <strong>CropScience</strong> first entered the potato<br />
market in China in 2007. The company<br />
is able to provide a product portfolio<br />
(Gaucho ® for seed treatment, Antracol ®<br />
for Alternaria control and Infinito ® for<br />
Phytophthora control) that is well-suited<br />
to China’s potato production conditions.<br />
<strong>Bayer</strong> <strong>CropScience</strong> is actively cooperating<br />
with the relevant government organizations<br />
towards the introduction of state-ofthe-art<br />
crop protection solutions. In 2007,<br />
large scale demonstrations of Infinito and<br />
Antracol were organised in several key<br />
provinces. In addition, many field seminars<br />
were held, during which <strong>Bayer</strong> <strong>CropScience</strong><br />
sales personnel trained farmers how to<br />
grow healthy potatoes and demonstrated<br />
the efficacy of <strong>Bayer</strong> <strong>CropScience</strong> product<br />
solutions. “We intend to offer advanced<br />
technical solutions to potato growers and<br />
to help them to increase yield and improve<br />
quality, so that they can meet customers’<br />
demand for healthy potatoes,” says Eric<br />
Tesson, Head of Business Development at<br />
<strong>Bayer</strong> <strong>CropScience</strong> in China.<br />
With the rapid development of China’s<br />
potato market, some big international food<br />
companies have begun actively operating<br />
in China, with some success. They have<br />
their own potato supply chains as well as<br />
their own potato farms, where high-quality<br />
potatoes can be produced using modern<br />
farm management and pest and disease<br />
control technologies. <strong>Bayer</strong> <strong>CropScience</strong><br />
has established good business relationships<br />
with these companies and is providing<br />
the necessary support by offering training<br />
and sharing knowledge of good practice<br />
in potato farming and management<br />
gained abroad. <strong>Bayer</strong> <strong>CropScience</strong> is sharing<br />
its wide-ranging expertise in plant<br />
health to enable growers to produce highquality<br />
potatoes.<br />
<strong>Bayer</strong> <strong>CropScience</strong> is already an active<br />
player in China’s potato market. We will<br />
continue to do our best to support the<br />
development of China’s potato industry<br />
by providing a comprehensive, practical<br />
package of technologies – to ensure that<br />
Chinese consumers enjoy high-quality,<br />
healthy potatoes. ■<br />
1/08 COURIER 7
The potato –<br />
In many parts of the world, the potato is becoming an<br />
increasingly popular source of nutrition. It contains a number<br />
of valuable components. We interviewed a potato expert:<br />
Sabine Sulzer, Product Manager for plant-derived products at<br />
the CMA (Central Marketing Organisation of German<br />
Agricultural Indu stries).<br />
8 COURIER 1/08
Sabine Sulzer, Product<br />
Manager for plant-derived<br />
products at the CMA (Central<br />
Marketing Organisation of<br />
German Agri cultural Industries)<br />
Sulzer: In industrial countries, the trend is<br />
in the opposite direction. Europe is still<br />
second only to Asia in terms of global<br />
production, but cultivation there has been<br />
declining continuously for some years now.<br />
The Europeans, with their consumption<br />
per person of 96 kg, are still the potatolovers<br />
par excellence. Nevertheless, conversatile<br />
and nutritious<br />
Courier: Mrs Sulzer, the United Nations<br />
have declared 2008 the International<br />
Year of the Potato – why<br />
Sulzer: Against a background of growing<br />
global problems, such as hunger, poverty<br />
and environmental degradation, the potato<br />
is becoming an increasingly important<br />
source of nutrition for the world’s population.<br />
That’s why the General Assembly of<br />
the United Nations have declared 2008 the<br />
International Year of the Potato.<br />
Courier: How important is the potato<br />
Sulzer: The potato is the world’s fourthmost<br />
important staple food after rice,<br />
wheat and maize. In 2006, 314 mio. tonnes<br />
of potatoes were harvested globally.<br />
Indeed, the potato is the only staple food<br />
that has seen an increase in the area cultivated<br />
around the world in recent years.<br />
Developing countries in particular have<br />
shown a continuous increase in cultivation;<br />
in 2005, for the first time, more potatoes<br />
were harvested in these countries than in<br />
industrial countries. The “spud” is well on<br />
its way to becoming one of our most im-<br />
portant sources of nutrition. It alleviates<br />
hunger and poverty, particularly in rural<br />
areas.<br />
Courier: And how is the situation<br />
looking in industrial countries<br />
1/08 COURIER 9
Potatoes contribute important nutrients, vitamins and minerals to the daily menu. As well as being rich in valuable nutrients,<br />
they can also be prepared and cooked in a variety of ways. Photos: CMA, Germany<br />
sumption is on the wane. Germany is the<br />
European Union’s biggest producer of<br />
potatoes and is ranked number six in<br />
terms of global production. But consumption<br />
per person here (66 kg) lies below the<br />
European average. The most prominent<br />
change has been the consumers’ move<br />
away from fresh potatoes towards<br />
processed potato products. Indeed, this<br />
applies to all industrial nations.<br />
Courier: What makes the potato so<br />
suitable for human consumption<br />
Sulzer: Potatoes have a broad spectrum of<br />
valuable contents and they are among the<br />
foods with the highest nutrient density,<br />
which is a measure of the balance between<br />
the nutrients a food contains and its energy<br />
content. Here, the potato does especially<br />
well. It has a calorie content of only 70<br />
kilocalories per 100 grammes of cooked<br />
potato, but at the same time it contributes a<br />
major part of our need for biologicallyuseful<br />
proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins<br />
and minerals.<br />
Courier: So the potato isn’t simply<br />
the “fattener“, as its reputation would<br />
have it<br />
Sulzer: No, certainly not. This myth<br />
derives from the potato’s capacity to make<br />
one feel sated. The low calorie content is<br />
an inverse result of the high water content<br />
(80%). Moreover, the potato contains hardly<br />
any fat. The energy content is comparable<br />
with, or even slightly lower than, that<br />
of cooked rice (84 kilocalories) and pasta<br />
(94 kilocalories per 100 g). This disproves<br />
the myth that the potato is a fattening food.<br />
Courier: Why is the potato’s protein<br />
content always emphasized At 2% of<br />
fresh material, it doesn’t seem especially<br />
high.<br />
Sulzer: The potato’s high water content<br />
means that its protein content is – relatively<br />
speaking – low. Nevertheless, the protein<br />
it does contain is highly valuable –<br />
with a favourable composition in terms of<br />
essential amino acids. The essential amino<br />
acid lysine, in particular, is present in high<br />
quantities. For these reasons, potato proteins<br />
are among the most beneficial of all<br />
the proteins available from plant-derived<br />
products, and they complement those contained<br />
in animal-derived foods when<br />
served together. For example, the combination<br />
of potato and egg provides a very<br />
favourable spectrum of proteins.<br />
Courier: What’s the main constituent<br />
of a potato besides water<br />
Sulzer: At 16g per 100g, the carbohydrates<br />
(mainly in the form of starch) are the<br />
second-most prominent group of constituents<br />
in the potato; they also deliver the<br />
most energy. In fact, raw potato starch is<br />
practically indigestible for people; it only<br />
becomes so after simmering in water at a<br />
temperature around the boiling point. This<br />
is why you shouldn’t eat potatoes raw. The<br />
fact that the starch gradually breaks down<br />
into glucose (a building block of sugars)<br />
during digestion is very positive in terms<br />
of nutritional physiology. Roughage, in the<br />
form of indigestible carbohydrates, is present<br />
at up to 2 % in the potato; it contributes<br />
to the feeling of satedness and helps to<br />
ensure regular intestinal movement.<br />
Courier: And what about vitamins<br />
and minerals<br />
Sulzer: When it comes to vitamins, it’s the<br />
high vitamin C content that should be<br />
emphasised: this is why the potato is sometimes<br />
also called the “lemon of the North“.<br />
For example, a young, cooked potato<br />
10 COURIER 1/08
Some tips for<br />
preparing potatoes<br />
• Cooking in a little water with the<br />
skin left on is the best way of<br />
preserving the nutritional value of<br />
potatoes during preparation.<br />
• In order to avoid loss of vitamins,<br />
boiled potatoes shouldn’t be kept<br />
warm for too long.<br />
• Potatoes should always be stored<br />
in the dark, under cool, dry<br />
conditions (although not in the<br />
refrigerator). The optimal storage<br />
temperature for potatoes is<br />
about 4°C.<br />
with its skin contains 15 mg vitamin C per<br />
100 g, which is slightly more than an apple<br />
does (10 mg). A 200 g portion of potato<br />
covers 28% of an adult’s daily vitamin C<br />
requirement. But this high content can<br />
decrease considerably during long storage,<br />
or if the potatoes are prepared and cooked<br />
in the wrong way. Potatoes are also a good<br />
source of the water-soluble B-vitamins and<br />
niacin. Regarding minerals, potatoes have<br />
a high potassium content, and at the same<br />
time, a low sodium content. This is why the<br />
potato is often recommended in special<br />
diets. Ten percent of the recommended<br />
daily intake of magnesium can be covered<br />
by a 200 g portion of potato. Phosphorus<br />
and iron are also present in significant concentrations.<br />
Incidentally, the high vitamin<br />
C-content encourages the uptake of iron<br />
into the blood.<br />
Courier: Nutritional science has been<br />
focussing a lot on secondary plant<br />
substances recently. Do potatoes<br />
contain secondary plant substances<br />
Sulzer: Secondary plant substances arise<br />
as the result of the plant’s metabolism. This<br />
group is thought to comprise 60-100,000<br />
chemically-different substances. They serve<br />
the plant in many ways: for colouration; in<br />
defence against pests and diseases; and as<br />
aromas. For people, they can have a variety<br />
of health-promoting effects: for example<br />
by stimulating the immune system and<br />
defence against infection, and by preventing<br />
the oxidation of other substances. Potatoes<br />
contain their share of secondary substances:<br />
mainly carotenoids, polyphenols,<br />
protease-inhibitors, phytic acids und<br />
anthocyanins. But depending on how the<br />
potatoes are prepared, some secondary<br />
substances can be inactivated. For example,<br />
simmering causes protease-inhibitors<br />
to lose their activity entirely.<br />
Courier: Has this new knowledge of the<br />
potato’s nutritional value led to a change<br />
of perception among consumers<br />
Sulzer: In 2005, we conducted a market<br />
survey of consumers to investigate the<br />
potato’s image. A total of more than 1,000<br />
heads of households throughout Germany<br />
aged 18 or older were questioned in personal<br />
interviews. The study showed that<br />
the potato is still today a valued part of our<br />
diet. Around two-thirds of households<br />
cook fresh potatoes several times a week.<br />
The versatile spud, which enjoys a high<br />
level of popularity here in Germany, is<br />
predominantly seen as a well-proven, traditional<br />
and important basic food. But a<br />
change of image is under way between the<br />
generations: older consumers are more<br />
likely to consider the potato to be a modern,<br />
up-to-date product than the younger<br />
consumer. Indeed, the potato is losing its<br />
relevance in the diets of younger households.<br />
Courier: How do you see the potato’s<br />
future in terms of consumer behaviour<br />
Sulzer: People’s interest in being able to<br />
prepare dishes quickly and easily will be<br />
the main driver in the continuing move<br />
towards processed potato products. The<br />
potato will also score points in future<br />
because of the numerous ways of preparing<br />
it. There’s a potato dish available for every<br />
taste: chips, mashed potato, dumplings,<br />
fried potato, gnocchi etc. There’s no limit<br />
to how potatoes can be prepared.<br />
Courier: Mrs Sulzer, let’s end<br />
with a personal question: what’s your<br />
favourite potato dish<br />
Sulzer: Coming as I do from Bavaria, my<br />
favourite dish since childhood has been<br />
potato dumplings with lots of sauce. But<br />
preparing the dumplings from scratch is<br />
too much work for me, so I tend to go for<br />
the ready-mixed dumplings from the cold<br />
compartment. ■<br />
1/08 COURIER 11
The UK Potato Project –<br />
Participation that paid off<br />
The whole is greater than the sum of its<br />
parts, they say. It certainly applies to Food<br />
Chain Partnership. Because, if all members<br />
of the chain – from field to fork – become<br />
partners who understand each others<br />
needs and requirements, everyone gains.<br />
<strong>Bayer</strong> <strong>CropScience</strong> therefore encourages<br />
and facilitates Food Chain Partnerships all<br />
over the world, contributing the company’s<br />
own expertise and extensive knowledge.<br />
One such partnership was the UK Potato<br />
Project introduced here.<br />
As customers increasingly become<br />
aware of what they eat, their expectations<br />
are on the rise. After a number of food<br />
scares, such as the BSE crisis, legislation<br />
within the EU has put more emphasis on<br />
consumer and retailer expectations in terms<br />
of high-quality and safe produce.<br />
In this context, the market in the United<br />
Kingdom is particularly advanced with a<br />
strong involvement of retailers and processors<br />
in food production. Against this background<br />
<strong>Bayer</strong> <strong>CropScience</strong> was to launch<br />
Infinito ® , a new product against potato late<br />
blight.<br />
While the general aim for all members<br />
of the potato food chain should be highquality,<br />
healthy-looking potatoes, individual<br />
members have different requirements<br />
and demands on a new crop protection prod -<br />
uct. To farmers, high effectiveness against<br />
Phytophtora as well as operator and environmental<br />
safety is paramount. But flexible<br />
dose rates and spraying intervals are<br />
also important. Next in the line, potato<br />
processors are confronted with a) consu -<br />
mers’ quality expectations and b) technical<br />
demands such as the shape and size of<br />
potatoes and their frying qualities to guarantee<br />
successful processing at a reasonable<br />
price. Retailers finally, especially those in<br />
the fresh potato segment, have to cope with<br />
consumers’ sensibility towards looks and<br />
cooking properties of fresh food. To them,<br />
healthy and clean potato skin is of great<br />
importance. In order to best meet the different<br />
expectations of those involved, <strong>Bayer</strong><br />
<strong>CropScience</strong> decided to invite all members<br />
of the potato value chain to field trials<br />
and cooperate with them in the final development<br />
of Infinito.<br />
Sabine Stolz, Food Chain Manager<br />
Europe and Global Key Relation Manager<br />
for UK supermarket retailers at the <strong>Bayer</strong><br />
<strong>CropScience</strong> Headquarters in Monheim,<br />
points out: “There are two strategies in<br />
Food Chain Partnerships we pursue at <strong>Bayer</strong><br />
<strong>CropScience</strong>. Usually the emphasis lies on<br />
individual crop cultures where, for a particular<br />
location or situation, we help define<br />
a schedule of crop protection measures to<br />
be taken over the course of the year. Of<br />
course, only registered, approved<br />
crop protection products can be<br />
included in this schedule.<br />
The UK Potato<br />
Project was something<br />
new for us.<br />
Here, the potato value chain members were<br />
involved at the developmental stage of a<br />
new crop protection product already.”<br />
Patrick Mitton, Cambridge-based food<br />
industry stewardship manager, says: “At<br />
<strong>Bayer</strong> <strong>CropScience</strong>, we naturally want to<br />
introduce products that are tailored to the<br />
demands of the market. It is essential to develop<br />
products that satisfy our customers’<br />
expectations and offer the best possible solution<br />
for all interested parties.”<br />
To begin with, the new product’s active<br />
substance, fluopicolide, had a favourable<br />
technical profile. Not only does it offer<br />
outstanding efficacy, particularly in respect<br />
of tuber blight control. It also met the expectations<br />
of the food companies. But<br />
there is always room to improve things. So,<br />
two seasons before the launch of Infinito,<br />
many British farmers, processors and retailers<br />
were asked for their ideas and recommendations<br />
for a product profile. During<br />
the two year pre-launch development<br />
The potato farmer’s aim:<br />
high-quality and<br />
healthy-looking potatoes.<br />
12 COURIER 1/08
phase, representatives from<br />
across the complete potato supply<br />
chain were invited to visit<br />
the field trials.<br />
“Together we evaluated the<br />
dose rates and spraying intervals<br />
to be considered”, Patrick Mitton explains.<br />
“Potato chain members thus had the<br />
chance to contribute to the final design of<br />
the new product, knowing their participation<br />
was going to pay off and be of advantage to<br />
them.”<br />
In the end, the technical profile of Infinito<br />
was so finely tuned to the expectations<br />
of a crop protection product by the<br />
UK food supply chain, that if they had<br />
been asked to design a product to satisfy<br />
their needs, Infinito would have been the<br />
result. Food businesses in the UK were<br />
keen to support the product from the first<br />
day of commercial launch. This isn’t the<br />
norm, as Sabine Stolz reveals: “Usually, a<br />
new crop protection product is developed<br />
Patrick Mitton, Food Industry Manager for <strong>Bayer</strong><br />
<strong>CropScience</strong> in the United Kingdom.<br />
and launched without involvement of food<br />
chain members. The big retailers then wait<br />
and see until they have gathered enough information<br />
about the benefits of the product.<br />
This takes about a year or two on average.<br />
Only then do they give their approval and<br />
include the new crop protection product on<br />
their lists.”<br />
Not with Infinito. Due to the UK Potato<br />
Project, confidence was so high right from<br />
the start that the new product was placed<br />
on all recommendation protocol lists, thus<br />
ensuring a commercial “free passage” in<br />
time for the growing season. So much was<br />
the enthusiasm, that players from across<br />
the complete food supply chain requested<br />
Sabine Stolz, Food Chain Manager Europe, at <strong>Bayer</strong><br />
<strong>CropScience</strong> Headquarters in Monheim, Germany<br />
the use by brand. Sabine Stolz smiles:<br />
“Everyone knows Infinito, everybody wants<br />
to use it.” Patrick Mitton adds: “We feel a<br />
great sense of achievement when we hear<br />
the great retailers request <strong>Bayer</strong> Crop-<br />
Science products by name.”<br />
Moreover, the UK Potato Project has<br />
increased trust, flexibility and a great relationship<br />
among all parties involved. “It<br />
was a decidedly positive experience”,<br />
Sabine Stolz recalls. “We did not expect<br />
such a great response. Now we have adopted<br />
the same strategy for a product that will<br />
be launched in two years time on a different<br />
market. From the UK Potato Project<br />
we’ve learned just how important and<br />
meaningful it is to involve all food chain<br />
partners at a very early stage already –<br />
especially in the development<br />
of a new product.” ■<br />
1/08 COURIER 13
Agrico and HZPC on the future of<br />
Dutch potato cultivation:<br />
‘Innovation<br />
and knowledge<br />
determine<br />
our success’<br />
Just as for other agricultural<br />
crops, seed potato<br />
cultivation will also be<br />
dominated by scaling up<br />
in the coming years.<br />
Experts in the sector<br />
anticipate that in ten<br />
years’ time, only about<br />
2,000 of the present<br />
3,000 seed-potato<br />
growers will remain. It is<br />
expected, however, that<br />
the present cultivated<br />
area of 36,000 hectares<br />
will remain stable.<br />
14 COURIER 1/08
For more than a century, the Netherlands<br />
has been a leader in seed potato production.<br />
With an area of approx. 36,000<br />
hectares, it accounts for about 40 percent<br />
of the total Western European acreage. The<br />
Netherlands is the leader in the fields of<br />
new varieties and export, and has made a<br />
name for itself in terms of cultivation<br />
knowledge and modernization. But will<br />
this remain the case Competition from other<br />
countries has increased in recent years,<br />
with France, Germany and Scotland in the<br />
lead. How are Dutch commercial companies<br />
dealing with this And how do they<br />
plan to remain leaders in the world of seed<br />
potatoes The two largest commercial<br />
companies, HZPC and Agrico, give their<br />
vision of the future in five main areas<br />
(competition, varieties, licenses, diseases<br />
and knowledge).<br />
Competition<br />
“Yes, it is true - the Netherlands is losing<br />
something of its lead.” Gerard Backx, General<br />
Director of the commercial seed potato<br />
company HZPC does not beat about the<br />
bush. He sees other countries, with France<br />
furthest ahead, slowly stealing a share of<br />
the market from the Netherlands. “But you<br />
have to consider this in proportion,” he<br />
emphasizes. “Each year the Netherlands<br />
exports about 700,000 tonnes of seed potatoes.<br />
Our most important competitors<br />
France, Scotland and Germany together<br />
export about 230,000 tonnes. I anticipate<br />
that in the coming years, the relationship<br />
will shift at the very most by a few thousand<br />
tonnes. So we are therefore talking<br />
about an approximate one percent change.”<br />
One area in which the Netherlands is miles ahead<br />
of other countries at the moment is the breeding<br />
of (successful) new varieties. Both Agrico and<br />
HZPC are making an important contribution to this<br />
through their own breeding operations (Agrico<br />
Research and HZPC Metslawier).<br />
However, Backx is not saying that the<br />
Netherlands has nothing to fear. “As a<br />
leading seed potato-producing country,<br />
we shall have to keep up in terms of knowledge,<br />
quality and modernization. Other<br />
countries are busily catching up on all<br />
three points. We must therefore do everything<br />
we can to maintain our lead.”<br />
France in particular is doing well<br />
Jan Van Hoogen, Commercial Director at<br />
the commercial potato company Agrico,<br />
confirms these efforts to overtake the<br />
Netherlands. In his view, France in particular<br />
has made great progress. “With regard<br />
to cultivation knowledge, mechanization<br />
and storage technology, the French are no<br />
longer behind the Netherlands. They can<br />
grow potatoes just as well as we can.”<br />
Van Hoogen emphasizes that the emergence<br />
of other countries is not disadvantageous<br />
for the Netherlands per se. “All large<br />
Dutch commercial companies have subsidiaries<br />
or establishments in France,<br />
Germany and Scotland. And in recent<br />
years, they have all grown considerably.<br />
As a result, the market share of Dutch<br />
varieties has also increased greatly. A large<br />
part of the money that we earn from this<br />
returns to benefit Dutch growers.”<br />
Varieties<br />
One point in which the Netherlands remains<br />
miles ahead of other countries is the<br />
breeding of (successful) new varieties.<br />
Both Agrico and HZPC are playing an important<br />
role here with their own breeding<br />
operations (Agrico Research and HZPC<br />
Metslawier). The two commercial companies<br />
each deal in about 100 different potato<br />
varieties, the majority of which they<br />
have bred themselves.<br />
HZPC director Backx says that about<br />
70 of the 100 varieties are being actively<br />
produced and marketed. The others are<br />
either in the introductory or run-down<br />
phases. HZPC aims to get three new cultivars<br />
onto the European List of Varieties<br />
each year. Of these, at least one must<br />
become a commercial success, which<br />
requires that after an introductory period<br />
of three to five years, at least 100 hectares<br />
must be cultivated, with total production of<br />
at least 3000 tonnes. If the variety does not<br />
reach this threshold, it will be withdrawn<br />
from the market as quickly as possible.<br />
“The reality is that many varieties remain<br />
on the borderline. You have to clear these<br />
out so that the successful varieties get<br />
more space on the plots,” is how Backx<br />
describes the strategy. In practice, this<br />
sometimes meets with resistance – but this<br />
is part of the trade, he says. “In the case of<br />
the potato, there is an enormous hodgepodge<br />
of wishes from around the world.<br />
We try to meet these as much as we can –<br />
but not at any price. Sometimes varieties<br />
do well in small niches. But the niches<br />
must ultimately contribute to the orga -<br />
nization’s results. If that fails, we get our<br />
fingers burnt. A variety must be profitable.”<br />
Well-known varieties have a lot of power<br />
According to Backx, the success of a variety<br />
depends on many factors. Obviously<br />
the properties of the variety play a very important<br />
role, but the ‘pulling power’ of the<br />
known major varieties must not be underestimated.<br />
For HZPC, these are above all<br />
the varieties Spunta and Desirée – both<br />
breeds from the ‘forebears’ of the company,<br />
Hettema and De ZPC. Backx: “In important<br />
export markets such as North<br />
Africa, Spunta in particular has a cast-iron<br />
image. The variety stands for confidence,<br />
quality and reliability. For growers in this<br />
region, a new variety should preferably<br />
have the shape and qualities of a Spunta.<br />
And of course the variety must be demonstrably<br />
better.” HZPC does indeed have an<br />
‘improved Spunta’, Backx says. “Only it<br />
takes a great deal of time and effort to<br />
convince our customers of this.”<br />
‘Breed what the customer wants’<br />
According to Agrico Commercial Director<br />
Van Hoogen, the secret of a successful<br />
breed always lies in the wishes of the<br />
customer or consumer. “The art is therefore<br />
to remain in discussion with all parties<br />
in the chain, so that you can provide them<br />
as far as possible with varieties that<br />
possess the desired qualities.” As an example,<br />
he gives the desire of the French fries<br />
industry to be able to use the same variety<br />
all year round, in order not to have to make<br />
any changes in the factory, and to be able<br />
to supply a constant quality to the end-user.<br />
“For us, that means a continuous search for<br />
varieties that produce a high yield early in<br />
the season, and allow storage until the new<br />
season without loss of quality. The closer<br />
we come to that, the more rapidly new<br />
varieties are accepted.”<br />
Licenses<br />
The use of new, licensed varieties is also<br />
vital for both companies in order to regain<br />
the investment made for all the breeding<br />
efforts. After approval on the Variety List,<br />
1/08 COURIER 15
This is HZPC<br />
HZPC Holland B.V. came into being in 1999 through the merging of two large seed<br />
potato export companies in the Netherlands: Hettema and De ZPC, each with more<br />
than 100 years of experience behind them. The HZPC headquarters are located in<br />
Joure (Friesland, Netherlands).<br />
The core activities of HZPC are breeding, growing and selling seed potatoes.<br />
HZPC is one of the world’s largest commercial enterprises in seed potatoes.<br />
Approximately 620 seed potato growers - with a total acreage of almost 12,000<br />
hectares - are affiliated to HZPC Holland. In recent years, total production has<br />
varied from 330,000 to 400,000 tonnes of seed potatoes. Eighty to 90 percent of<br />
this volume is destined for export. HZPC thus accounts for more than 40 percent<br />
of the total Dutch seed potato export volume.<br />
HZPC exports seed potatoes to 80 different countries. The company has subsidiaries<br />
in Portugal, Spain, France, Poland, the United Kingdom, Canada, Argentina,<br />
Russia and Scandinavia.<br />
To support its core activity (seed potatoes), HZPC also deals in ware potatoes.<br />
In this way HZPC’s protected potatoes are promoted within the supermarkets.<br />
Gerard Backx, General Director of HZPC<br />
Holland B.V.: “As a leading seed potatoproducing<br />
country, we shall have to keep<br />
up in terms of knowledge, quality and<br />
modernization.”<br />
farmers are growing it themselves. As a<br />
result, the concept of license payments has<br />
got lost to some extent. In order to chart<br />
the seed potato routes – and thus the<br />
license obligations – HZPC recently<br />
opened an office in Argentina. For a number<br />
of other countries, a license fee is<br />
demanded when the seed potatoes are<br />
purchased: the customer is then free to<br />
grow the variety once or twice.<br />
Of all the seed potatoes that HZPC and Agrico sell, 75 to 85 percent is destined for export. About half are<br />
transported to their destination by ship.<br />
a breeder’s rights (license) to a variety<br />
remain valid for 30 years. “We therefore<br />
have to make the maximum profit from a<br />
variety during that period,” is how HZPC<br />
Director Backx summarizes an important<br />
aim of the company. Varieties such as<br />
Spunta and Desirée – which can be grown<br />
freely because the license period has<br />
expired – have thus gained two faces. “On<br />
the one hand, they are an excellent way of<br />
displaying our achievements of the past;<br />
but on the other hand, they no longer bring<br />
in any license payments, and they sometimes<br />
inhibit the breakthrough of new<br />
varieties,” is how Backx describes the<br />
sometimes tricky situation.<br />
Payment is not always a matter of course<br />
In addition to the dilemma of the older varieties<br />
that sometimes sit in the way, the<br />
payment of the license fees is sometimes<br />
an awkward point. Of the 80 countries to<br />
which they export, there is ‘a handful’<br />
that do not take licenses very seriously,<br />
according to Backx. In one particular case,<br />
it is unwillingness; but more often it is a<br />
question of inadequate administration or<br />
organization. As an example, Backx mentions<br />
Argentina, where the French fries<br />
variety Innovator has made a considerable<br />
breakthrough in recent years. Initially, the<br />
variety was only grown by the industry.<br />
But now that the variety has proven itself,<br />
Licenses vital in order to pay for<br />
breeding work<br />
According to Agrico Director Van Hoogen,<br />
it is not only distant countries that cause<br />
problems with license payments. Cases are<br />
also sometimes brought against growers in<br />
Belgium, France, Germany and the United<br />
Kingdom who do not take licenses seriously.<br />
An awkward point here is that although<br />
these countries respect the license legislation,<br />
a lot of negotiations are still ongoing<br />
about the precise method of payment. “As<br />
a result, Agrico misses out on many millions<br />
of Euros per year. And we need that<br />
money to offset the breeding costs.”<br />
Diseases<br />
In the area of diseases and infestations, the<br />
prevention and/or control of the Erwinia<br />
bacterium (cause of black leg and stalk<br />
rot) will continue to be a major challenge.<br />
Despite the numerous efforts that have<br />
been made in research and cultivation in<br />
recent years, the problem is still increasing.<br />
Van Hoogen anticipates that the<br />
Netherlands is not yet free of the bacterial<br />
problem. “You can’t do anything to combat<br />
16 COURIER 1/08
This is Agrico<br />
Agrico is a co-operative organization of approximately 1000 potato growers.<br />
Together, they produce about 600,000 tonnes of seed potatoes and ware<br />
potatoes each year that are marketed by Agrico itself.<br />
Agrico has a large number of subsidiaries, including its own packing company for<br />
ware potatoes, its own breeding and research operation, and many test fields in<br />
the Netherlands and abroad. All activities are managed from the Head Office in<br />
Emmeloord (Fl.).<br />
Agrico has its own sales offices in France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Hungary, the<br />
Czech Republic and Canada. In addition, it has representatives in almost all seed<br />
potato-importing countries. Agrico exports seed potatoes to more than 80 different<br />
countries.<br />
Jan van Hoogen, Commercial Director of<br />
Agrico: “The art is therefore to remain in discussion<br />
with all parties in the chain, so that<br />
you can provide them as well as possible with<br />
varieties that possess the desired qualities”.<br />
With an area of approx. 36,000 hectares under cultivation, the Netherlands accounts for about 40 percent of<br />
the total Western European seed potato acreage.<br />
it with breeding work, because there are no<br />
resistances to bacterial disease. And as far<br />
as cultivation measures are concerned, we<br />
still know too little to enable us to tackle<br />
the problem effectively.” In addition, he<br />
anticipates that the increasingly capricious<br />
weather will exacerbate the problem of<br />
bacterial diseases.<br />
Erwinia bacteria being tackled<br />
on many fronts<br />
Backx is somewhat less sombre about the<br />
bacterial threat. Although he does not wish<br />
to trivialize the problem, he says that competitor<br />
countries such as France, Scotland<br />
and Germany are experiencing it to exactly<br />
the same extent. “It is therefore not just<br />
a problem for the Netherlands but for all<br />
seed potato-producing countries.” Backx<br />
anticipates that definite solutions will<br />
come, even though they are not actually in<br />
view at the present time. “I remember well<br />
the problems with brown rot and ring rot a<br />
few years ago. We thought that we would<br />
never get them under control either. But<br />
neither of them has been found in recent<br />
years. I therefore anticipate that in time we<br />
shall be able to overcome bacterial disease,<br />
too.” According to the HZPC Director,<br />
first research results indicate that agricultural<br />
hygiene and contamination (via harvesting<br />
machines) play an important role<br />
in the spread of Erwinia. “Growers therefore<br />
have an opportunity to tackle the<br />
problem.” He also states that the Dutch<br />
general inspection service for agricultural<br />
seeds and seed potatoes (NAK) is at present<br />
advising on changes in the inspection<br />
system to counter bacterial disease. “We are<br />
thus tackling the problem on many fronts.<br />
Sooner or later that must lead to success.”<br />
Knowledge<br />
In order to remain leaders in the cultivation<br />
of seed potatoes, knowledge is the main<br />
thing you need. The two company directors<br />
readily agree on this. Backx says that in<br />
recent years, there has been a strict selection<br />
of seed potato growers by HZPC. He<br />
estimates that, as a result, the number of<br />
growers engaged has fallen by approximately<br />
40 percent since 2000. The company<br />
has looked not only at the farm’s technical<br />
conditions for being able to grow<br />
good seed potatoes (such as good soil and<br />
the availability of fresh water), but also at<br />
the grower’s knowledge and management<br />
qualities. “I can state that knowledge and<br />
good management determine more than<br />
seventy percent of the success. Anyone<br />
who wants to survive in seed potato cultivation<br />
in the future must have these.”<br />
Backx emphasizes that success does not<br />
depend on acreage per se. “We have many<br />
growers in our pool who have 30 to 40<br />
hectares and who do excellently – both<br />
technically and financially. This is because<br />
they are experts and have their operation<br />
well under control. But if they want to increase<br />
to 80 or 90 hectares of crop, they<br />
must delegate work and have management<br />
qualities. And that is often a difficult point.<br />
Not everybody has the skill to delegate<br />
responsibilities. And that has to be done,<br />
because it is impossible to oversee such a<br />
large acreage alone.”<br />
‘Large growers know how to apply their<br />
knowledge’<br />
According to Agrico Director Van Hoogen,<br />
scaling-up in seed potato cultivation is<br />
inevitable, just as in other crops. He anticipates<br />
that in ten years’ time, only about<br />
400 of the current 600 Agrico growers will<br />
remain, with approximately the same<br />
acreage (12,000 hectares). In contrast to<br />
his colleague Backx, he is not worried<br />
about the management qualities of the<br />
survivors. “The larger growers know perfectly<br />
well how to accumulate and apply<br />
their knowledge. And with the ever higher<br />
level of education of the younger guard,<br />
I expect that this situation will continue to<br />
get better.” ■<br />
Written by: Han Hammink<br />
1/08 COURIER 17
Phytophthora<br />
infestans<br />
is becoming increasingly<br />
aggressive<br />
The fungal pathogen Phytophthora infestans is increasing its hold<br />
on potato crops in Europe. In recent years, a wide range of new<br />
pathotypes has emerged through generative (sexual) reproduction,<br />
allowing the disease to become more aggressive and more<br />
damaging. This is clear from data collected by Euroblight, the<br />
European knowledge network for Phytophthora infestans. Potato<br />
researcher and Phytophthora specialist Dr. Ir. Huub Schepers of the<br />
PPO Research Centre in Lelystad (NL) outlines the development of<br />
the disease and indicates how it can be controlled.<br />
At the beginning of the 1970s, only one<br />
mating type (A1) of Phytophthora infestans<br />
was present in Europe. This meant<br />
that the pathogen could only reproduce<br />
asexually (vegetatively) at that time. The<br />
life-cycle was therefore quite stable and<br />
predictable, so it was relatively easy to<br />
control the disease effectively. This situation<br />
changed when, halfway through the<br />
1970s, a second mating type (A2)<br />
entered Europe from Mexico, allowing the<br />
fungus to start reproducing sexually (A1 x<br />
A2) as well. Initially, type A2 was found<br />
locally, mainly in the Netherlands and<br />
Scandinavia: but by now, in 2008, both<br />
18 COURIER 1/08
“Phytophthora<br />
infestans will<br />
continue to adapt<br />
more rapidly in the<br />
coming years. We<br />
must therefore<br />
outsmart the<br />
pathogen and<br />
attack it in all<br />
possible ways.”<br />
Huub Schepers<br />
mating types are endemic throughout<br />
Europe.<br />
Oospores (which develop via sexual<br />
reproduction) are now found in virtually<br />
all Western and Northern European countries.<br />
In the Netherlands, 60 to 70 % of all<br />
potato-growing areas have mixed populations<br />
of A1 and A2, according to long-term<br />
surveys by the PPO Research Centre. Early<br />
infection caused by oospores occurs mainly<br />
in lighter soils and areas with very short<br />
rotations. This applies particularly to the<br />
North-East of the Netherlands, where<br />
starch potato cultivation is concentrated.<br />
In the period 1999 – 2005, about 32 percent<br />
of all early infections in that region<br />
appeared to be caused by oospores.<br />
Oospores are a considerable<br />
threat<br />
Sexual reproduction via oospores is a serious<br />
threat for potato cultivation, because it<br />
provides for greater variation in the<br />
pathogen population. Laboratory tests and<br />
field studies have shown that the sexuallyreproducing<br />
populations can be considerably<br />
more aggressive than their asexual<br />
predecessors. Research has shown that<br />
the new, mixed populations adapt more<br />
rapidly to temperatures that are normally<br />
unfavourable for Phytophthora; the<br />
pathogen used to be inviable at temperatures<br />
below 10°C and above 25°C, but<br />
this is not the case for the new variants.<br />
Newly-collected isolates are also often<br />
able to survive better on the tuber, as they<br />
tend to damage the tuber less severely: the<br />
tuber rots less rapidly, and is consequently<br />
less easy to sort out on the basis of external<br />
symptoms.<br />
The new population also has a considerably<br />
shorter latent period, meaning that<br />
the life-cycle of Phytophthora infestans<br />
can be completed more rapidly than<br />
before. This, in turn, allows the fungus to<br />
adapt more rapidly through sexual reproduction.<br />
Under favourable conditions, two<br />
generations a week are now possible, compared<br />
with one generation before. It is thus<br />
important to have short intervals in the<br />
spraying programme in areas where<br />
oospores are being formed.<br />
Further threats presented by the new,<br />
mixed populations include the fact that<br />
they often have high spore production<br />
rates, and can break through varietal genetic<br />
resistance more easily. In addition, they<br />
have a broader range of host plants compared<br />
with the ‘old’ Phytophthora: for<br />
example, it is known that the new mixed<br />
populations can also infect green night-<br />
Phytophthora infestans – symptoms<br />
If “Phytophthora-weather“ prevails,<br />
potato tubers can be infected as soon<br />
as they are formed in the middle of<br />
the season.<br />
Above-ground parts of the plant must be<br />
adequately protected right from the start,<br />
in order to prevent inoculum from being<br />
washed down into the soil.<br />
Severe infection of foliage leads to<br />
significant yield losses.<br />
1/08 COURIER 19
Life cycle of Phytophthora infestans<br />
Sporangia<br />
release zoospores<br />
Movement of zoospores on<br />
the leaf surface<br />
Sporangium<br />
Infected tubers<br />
as an inoculum<br />
source for primary<br />
infections<br />
Direct<br />
germination<br />
of sporangia<br />
Zoospores<br />
encyst and<br />
germinate<br />
Mycelial growth<br />
Infection of tubers<br />
via sporangia<br />
Formation of a sporangial lawn<br />
on the underside of the leaf.<br />
shade (Solanum sarrachoides) and rocket<br />
leaf (dense-thorn bitter apple Solanum<br />
sisymbriifolium), which can then act as<br />
host plants for inoculum.<br />
More action against<br />
Phytophthora necessary<br />
Keeping Phytophthora infestans under<br />
control will require more vigilance and<br />
action towards prevention and eradication<br />
than before, says Schepers. He emphasises<br />
that prevention always begins with the<br />
elimination of sources of early infection,<br />
for example by covering cull piles early on,<br />
and by removing volunteer plants. Moreover,<br />
early foci of Phytophthora infection<br />
must be suppressed as rapidly as possible.<br />
In the Netherlands, a system of presenting<br />
farmers with yellow and red cards has been<br />
in use for several years to encourage this:<br />
potato growers who do not have their<br />
cull piles covered by April 15 are given a<br />
yellow card; the same applies to growers<br />
with many volunteer plants in their fields,<br />
and to growers who do not control the<br />
early foci, or do so only inadequately. If<br />
the growers have not acted within 3 days<br />
of receiving the yellow card, the consequences<br />
are a red card and a fine.<br />
A second factor that can curb the<br />
disease is extended crop rotation. Research<br />
has shown that oospores can survive in the<br />
soil for 3 to 4 years. If a second crop of<br />
potatoes is grown within this period (or if<br />
volunteer plants are allowed to grow on<br />
the same plot of land), early infection can<br />
develop from oospores.<br />
Choice of variety is a further important<br />
factor in keeping Phytophthora in check.<br />
Infection occurs considerably less rapidly<br />
in highly-resistant varieties. With regard to<br />
crop protection, the spraying strategy must<br />
be tightened up where mixed populations<br />
are present, in order to counter the increased<br />
risk of infection. Among other<br />
things, this can mean starting spraying<br />
earlier, with shorter intervals between<br />
applications, so that the pathogen has less<br />
chance to develop. In addition, where there<br />
is high disease pressure, more attention<br />
will have to be paid to combining different<br />
active substances (modes of action) than<br />
is the case at present. Schepers draws<br />
attention to the critical issue that active<br />
substances increasingly have a limited<br />
number of applications. “With the more<br />
aggressive Phytophthora being present,<br />
greater knowledge is needed in order to<br />
develop a watertight strategy.” ■<br />
Written by: Han Hammink<br />
20 COURIER 1/08
New combination of active<br />
substances against potato blight<br />
The new Infinito ® has already established itself in the<br />
market as a highly-effective potato fungicide – within<br />
only a few years of its introduction. The first registrations<br />
were obtained in 2006; in the meantime, Infinito can be<br />
used to control potato late blight (Phytophthora infestans)<br />
in nearly twenty countries. The latest registration was<br />
granted in Japan at the beginning of 2008. The product<br />
will be marketed there under the trade name Reliable ® .<br />
Bad news for potato blight, but good news for Infinito:<br />
in the last few years, the product has been able to demonstrate<br />
its strength in controlling the disease on aboveground<br />
parts and tubers, thereby protecting the entire potato<br />
plant. To achieve this, it draws on the combination of<br />
two highly effective active substances: propamocarb-HCl<br />
und fluopicolide.<br />
Fluopicolide is a new active substance from <strong>Bayer</strong><br />
<strong>CropScience</strong>’s Research Unit. It has a unique mode of action<br />
that leads to a rapid destabilisation of fungal cells.<br />
Products based on this innovative active substance stand<br />
out by virtue of the long-term, consistently high level of<br />
protection they provide to crops, as well as through their<br />
favourable environmental profile.<br />
Fluopicolide’s new mode of action<br />
Fluopicolide acts by disrupting the pathogen’s cell structure.<br />
It inhibits the formation of spectrin-like proteins that<br />
are assumed to play an important role in the stabilisation<br />
of the pathogen’s cells. This unique mode of action is<br />
effective against all of the most critical stages of the<br />
pathogen’s life-cycle. However, fluopicolide’s main target<br />
is the zoospore stage: the spores stop moving within seconds<br />
of coming into contact with the active substance;<br />
then they swell-up, and, eventually, burst. Fluopicolide<br />
also reduces sporulation and suppresses the growth of<br />
fungal mycelia within plant tissues. Moreover, it inhibits<br />
both direct and indirect sporangial germination.<br />
Fluopicolide’s partner in Infinito is the time-tested<br />
active substance propamocarb-HCl, which has been on<br />
the market for 30 years now. Propamocarb-HCl influences<br />
fatty acid synthesis, so it has a completely different mode<br />
of action from fluopicolide. The two active substances<br />
complement each other very well to provide the effective,<br />
long-term protection that Infinito affords. Both possess<br />
systemic and trans-laminar distribution properties. Active<br />
substance taken up by the stem is thus transported to other<br />
parts of the plant, which means that newly-grown plant<br />
tissues can also be protected from infection. ■<br />
Late blight: the thread-like mycelium of the pathogen<br />
Phytophthora infestans has formed a network within<br />
the tissues of the potato plant. The <strong>Bayer</strong> active substance<br />
fluopicolide is particularly active against the zoospores<br />
(contained in the capsules at the ends of the mycelial threads)<br />
that help the late blight pathogen to spread.<br />
1/08 COURIER 21
Colorado potato beetle<br />
and aphids – threatening,<br />
but manageable<br />
A threat to potato crops throughout<br />
the world: the Colorado potato beetle<br />
(Leptinotarsa decemlineata)<br />
Along with leaf diseases, pests represent a serious risk<br />
for potato growers around the world: they can reduce<br />
tuber quality significantly, and, at worst, they can destroy<br />
entire harvests – that is, if they aren’t stopped in time.<br />
The danger can be managed through preventative<br />
measures and with the aid of effective <strong>Bayer</strong> products<br />
such as Biscaya ® and Proteus ® .<br />
22 COURIER 1/08
From yield reduction to total yield<br />
loss – pests such as the Colorado potato<br />
beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata) and<br />
aphids (e.g. Myzus persicae, Aulacorthum<br />
solani, Macrosiphum euphorbiae), cicadas,<br />
thrips, nematodes and potato moths are endemic<br />
– and threatening – in almost all of<br />
the traditional areas of potato cultivation.<br />
The Colorado potato beetle and its larvae,<br />
with their almost insatiable appetites, can<br />
eat continuously and are capable of laying<br />
waste to entire fields. In contrast, aphids<br />
do not cause damage directly through their<br />
feeding, but rather as so-called vectors of<br />
viruses which they can transfer every time<br />
they probe a plant with their proboscis. In<br />
Europe alone, 20 virus types are recognised<br />
– the potato leaf roll virus (PLRV),<br />
potato virus Y (PVY) and X (PVX) are the<br />
most important economically. The symptoms<br />
of virus infection range from leaf<br />
deformation and necroses through to<br />
growth suppression and damage to the<br />
tuber. Producers of seed potatoes must be<br />
especially careful to prevent infection:<br />
seed potatoes that carry viruses cannot be<br />
certified for selling or sowing.<br />
Safeguarding the<br />
harvest is essential<br />
“The potato is an expensive crop. Intensive<br />
cultivation in Central Europe involves the<br />
grower investing up to 3,000 Euro per<br />
hectare“, says <strong>Bayer</strong> <strong>CropScience</strong> expert<br />
Dr. Hartwig Dauck (Global Insecticides<br />
Manager for potato). This sum covers the<br />
costs for machinery, energy, work, soil,<br />
seed, crop protection and fertilizing. He<br />
continues: “If you want to avoid putting<br />
this considerable investment at risk, you<br />
have to keep an eye on pest insects right<br />
from the start.“ Preventative measures are<br />
urgently recommended, although their<br />
influence on infection levels is limited. The<br />
virus threat can be reduced by growing resistant<br />
varieties in areas that are relatively<br />
free of vectors, and long-term rotations can<br />
also reduce the risk. But seasonal weather<br />
is beyond the farmer’s control – if it is<br />
favourable for the pests, then they will be<br />
present in the field in larger numbers. This<br />
is why it is essential to take steps to safeguard<br />
yield and quality by applying the<br />
right tools at the right time.<br />
Consider damage thresholds<br />
Damage thresholds are important considerations<br />
in deciding on exactly the right<br />
time to intervene: they indicate which<br />
level of infestation can be tolerated<br />
from an economic point<br />
of view. Applying<br />
Potato aphid (Macrosiphum solanifolii)<br />
An overview of product<br />
strengths:<br />
Biscaya ® :<br />
• Highly systemic insecticide with<br />
long-term efficacy<br />
• Active against sucking and biting<br />
insects<br />
• Pests living within the plant are<br />
effectively controlled<br />
• O-TEQ-formulation: rapid uptake,<br />
increased rainfastness<br />
• Can also be used at higher<br />
temperatures<br />
• Favourable profile towards the<br />
environment and beneficials –<br />
safe for bees<br />
Proteus ® :<br />
• Combination of active substances<br />
with both systemic properties<br />
and contact activity; more rapid<br />
knock-down effect, but also longterm<br />
activity<br />
• Broad-spectrum activity against<br />
sucking and biting insects<br />
(including the potato moth)<br />
• O-TEQ-formulation: rapid uptake,<br />
increased rainfastness<br />
control measures only makes sense if the<br />
yield losses the pest is expected to cause<br />
exceed the costs of protecting the yield<br />
against the pest. Damage thresholds vary<br />
from country to country – they also depend<br />
on how the potatoes are to be used after<br />
harvest. “In the United Kingdom, the first<br />
aphid-control treatment in food and starch<br />
potatoes is recommended as soon as the<br />
aphid count reaches three to five per leaf.<br />
If the number of aphids caught in traps<br />
rises rapidly, reflecting a strong increase in<br />
the population, it’s a first warning signal“,<br />
says Dr. Dauck. “But seed potato growers<br />
must take action as soon as the first aphid<br />
is seen, otherwise they risk the virus-free<br />
status – and thus the certification – of their<br />
crop“. Depending on the region and local<br />
climatic conditions, food potatoes need up<br />
to four sprays and seed potatoes as many as<br />
twelve sprays to cover the entire cultivation<br />
period.<br />
There are also strict requirements with<br />
regard to the Colorado potato beetle: in the<br />
Netherlands for example – where farmers<br />
are actually legally obliged to control the<br />
pest – treatment must start as soon as the<br />
first larva has been found.<br />
1/08 COURIER 23
“Wanted poster“<br />
for the Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata):<br />
The Colorado potato beetle overwinters in soil. It is 10 to 12 mm in length, with<br />
orange to yellow and black stripes. Infestation can occur as soon as potato plants<br />
emerge, with the beetle eating the young leaves. After mating, the female beetle<br />
lays orange-coloured eggs in groups of 12 to 25 on the leaf under-surface.<br />
The 15 mm-long, reddish-coloured larvae emerge and feed on the potato leaves.<br />
Eventually, they form pupae in the soil from which young adult beetles emerge<br />
after about 14 days.<br />
In cooler climates, there is only one generation of beetles per year. But under<br />
optimal temperatures (25 to 33 degrees Celsius), up to four generations can occur.<br />
The Colorado potato beetle is easy to recognise by virtue of its size and colouration.<br />
When the potato plant is shaken, the beetles allow themselves to fall off. In<br />
this way, otherwise hidden specimens can be seen.<br />
The beetle was first<br />
recognised in North<br />
America at the<br />
beginning of the 19th<br />
century and has<br />
become widely distributed<br />
in the meanwhile.<br />
During the 20th<br />
century, it made its<br />
way throughout<br />
Europe towards the<br />
East and has now<br />
reached China.<br />
“Wanted poster“<br />
for the green peach aphid<br />
(Myzus persicae):<br />
The eggs overwinter on peach trees.<br />
The larvae emerge in the spring:<br />
Then, over a period of several weeks,<br />
they develop into winged or wingless<br />
adults. The winged aphids fly to their<br />
summer hosts, including the potato.<br />
They feed on the plant, but cause<br />
more damage by transferring viruses<br />
(including the persistent leaf roll<br />
virus).<br />
The aphid has an oval body, 1.2 to<br />
2.1 mm long, which is light to dark<br />
green, pink or reddish-coloured.<br />
Winged specimens have a characteristic<br />
black mark on the abdomen.<br />
Between 10 and 25 generations can<br />
occur per year.<br />
Originating in Asia, this aphid is now<br />
found in all areas of potato cultivation<br />
around the world.<br />
Alternating active<br />
substance classes<br />
Over the years, a number of crop protection<br />
products have been used successfully<br />
against Colorado potato beetle, aphids and<br />
other pests, mainly from the organophosphate<br />
and pyrethroid classes of active substance.<br />
Now, innovative products from the<br />
chloronicotinyl (CNI) class are becoming<br />
increasingly predominant. <strong>Bayer</strong> products<br />
such as Calypso ® and Biscaya (thiacloprid),<br />
Confidor ® (imidacloprid) and Monceren ®<br />
G (imidacloprid plus the fungicide pencycuron)<br />
belong to this class. Their major<br />
advantage compared with the organophosphates:<br />
they are both user- and environment-friendlier.<br />
Moreover, hardly any<br />
resistance to them has arisen in the pest<br />
populations that confront potato crops. To<br />
provide over all protection during the early<br />
growth phases, Monceren ® G, with the<br />
systemic active substance imidacloprid, is<br />
sprayed onto potatoes at the time of sowing<br />
to protect them for several weeks against<br />
aphids and early infestation by Colorado<br />
potato beetle. However, the pests can<br />
appear throughout the entire growing<br />
period. If they go on to reach damage<br />
threshold levels, Biscaya is available to the<br />
farmer as a novel, effective insecticide for<br />
foliar application.<br />
Biscaya – with an<br />
innovative formulation<br />
“Biscaya was introduced into practice with<br />
great success in 2007“, reports Julia van<br />
Bömmel (Product Manager for Biscaya).<br />
“With its active substance thiacloprid, it is<br />
making a significant contribution to offsetting<br />
the Colorado potato beetle resistance<br />
threat.“ This will bring a lot of relief to<br />
growers in countries such as Germany and<br />
Poland, who are increasingly affected by<br />
the resistance problem.<br />
The new Biscaya also offers further advantages:<br />
a glance at the product description<br />
will show that Biscaya has a<br />
favourable profile with regard to beneficial<br />
insects and the environment. The product’s<br />
safety to bees means that it is also suited<br />
for use during flowering-time.<br />
24 COURIER 1/08
Moreover, Biscaya benefits from innovative<br />
formulation technology, the socalled<br />
O-TEQ-formulation. Julia van<br />
Bömmel explains the principle as follows:<br />
“Our formulation experts have mixed the<br />
active substance with additives and plantderived<br />
oils to form a stable oil dispersion.<br />
The formulation is free of solvents and<br />
thus environmentally compatible.“ The<br />
formulation brings three advantages: “The<br />
spray solution is retained better by leaves;<br />
it is more evenly distributed over the leaf<br />
surface; and, most importantly, the<br />
active substance is taken up more quickly<br />
by the plant.“ This is a particularly strong<br />
advantage when weather conditions are<br />
unfavourable. And it is another impressive<br />
demonstration that the properties of a<br />
product are not determined by the active<br />
substance alone.<br />
Biscaya excels by virtue of its long-lasting<br />
efficacy. “It is distributed throughout<br />
the plant and is able to work systemically.<br />
At higher temperatures, it has an advantage<br />
over the pyrethroids.“ according to Julia<br />
van Bömmel. The product also scores<br />
highly in terms of user friendliness, and<br />
through the fact that only small buffer<br />
zones to water bodies are necessary.<br />
Proteus – broad protection<br />
Another product formulated according to<br />
the principles of O-TEQ technology is<br />
Proteus (introduction in the Netherlands<br />
planned as “Ferito ® “), which was first<br />
introduced in Rumania in 2005 and has<br />
received registrations in numerous other<br />
countries since then. In contrast to Biscaya,<br />
Proteus has been developed by <strong>Bayer</strong><br />
crop protection experts to combine active<br />
substances from two classes (chloronico ti -<br />
nyl and pyrethroids). This combination allows<br />
farmers in regions without pyre throid<br />
resistance to achieve broad-spectrum control.<br />
The active substance deltamethrin<br />
gives the product a rapid knock-down activity,<br />
while the chloronicotinyl constituent<br />
thiacloprid ensures long-term control.<br />
“The product is therefore ideally suited for<br />
use in seed potatoes”, concludes Product<br />
Manager van Bömmel. What’s important<br />
here is to eliminate virus-carrying aphids<br />
as quickly as possible, which is something<br />
that’s easier to achieve because of the<br />
favourable properties of Proteus’ O-TEQ<br />
formulation.<br />
Avoiding resistance<br />
The fewer the active substance classes that<br />
are available to control a pest, and the<br />
higher the number of treatments needed<br />
to achieve control, the greater the risk that<br />
resistance will develop. Resistant aphids<br />
are no longer a rarity in some European<br />
countries. The situation is similar for the<br />
Colorado beetle. “The current choice of<br />
available active substance classes is relatively<br />
limited. If the very same product is<br />
applied six to eight times in succession,<br />
then it is inevitable that even an extremely<br />
effective product will eventually lose its<br />
efficacy through resistance development”,<br />
notes Julia van Bömmel. Farmers should<br />
keep the damage thresholds in mind, apply<br />
products at the recommended dose and<br />
alternate between chemical classes. “We<br />
must take care of the available products –<br />
and this includes Biscaya and<br />
Proteus. We want the farmer to be able to<br />
benefit from their advantages for as long<br />
as possible” is Julia van Bömmel’s appeal<br />
to advisors and users.<br />
Detailed information on the appropriate<br />
spray sequences and damage thresholds<br />
can be obtained by contacting <strong>Bayer</strong><br />
<strong>CropScience</strong>’s local organisation in your<br />
country. ■<br />
Full range of <strong>Bayer</strong> <strong>CropScience</strong> insecticides in potatoes<br />
Mesurol<br />
Slugs<br />
Decis, (Tamaron)<br />
Lepidoptera<br />
Leafminer Fly<br />
Temik, Mocap<br />
Soil insects,<br />
Nematodes<br />
Prestige<br />
Seed<br />
Treatment<br />
Decis, Regent, Confidor, Biscaya, Proteus, (Tamaron)<br />
Beetles, Weevils<br />
Whitefly, Jassids<br />
Aphids<br />
Seeding Sprouting Leaf development Crop cover Flowering Tuber ripening<br />
Please follow the locally approved product label before use. If you have any further questions please contact your local country organization of <strong>Bayer</strong> <strong>CropScience</strong>.<br />
1/08 COURIER 25
Potatoes…<br />
from Peru<br />
to the world<br />
The debate concerning the origin of<br />
the potato (Solanum tuberosum) is nearing<br />
its end. Using genetic analyses of wild species<br />
and native Andean crops, David<br />
M. Spooner, a botanist at the University of<br />
Wisconsin, has reached the conclusion that<br />
the potato has a single point of origin: to<br />
the north of Lake Titicaca, in the Andean<br />
plateau of southern Peru.<br />
Researchers from the International Potato<br />
Centre (Centro Internacional de la<br />
Papa - CIP), headquartered in Lima, Peru,<br />
including Dr Alberto Salas, an agronomist<br />
from the Biodiversity Complex and<br />
Dr Marc Ghislain, a molecular biologist,<br />
have conducted thorough morphological<br />
and molecular studies, reaching the same<br />
conclusion as Dr Spooner.<br />
Archaeologists have even determined that<br />
the ancient Peruvians consumed potatoes<br />
26 COURIER 1/08
as far back as 7,000 years ago, when they<br />
were found growing wild in the vicinity of<br />
Lake Titicaca.<br />
With the sole origin of the potato having<br />
been scientifically determined, studies of<br />
its spread to other countries are also of<br />
some interest. It was being grown in Peru<br />
by around the 8th century BC and, according<br />
to chronicler Pedro Cieza de León, a<br />
contemporary of explorer Francisco<br />
Pizarro, the potato was taken to Spain<br />
in 1554 from where it spread throughout<br />
Europe. It reached India in 1610 and<br />
China in 1700.<br />
Worldwide importance<br />
As specified by the FAO, potatoes are of<br />
decisive importance in the diets of hundreds<br />
of millions of people worldwide, and<br />
The potato, with its many different varieties, is a basic<br />
food crop for people in the Peruvian Andes. Peru is<br />
the country in which the genetic diversity of potato<br />
varieties is greatest.<br />
Left: harvesting native potatoes at 4,000 metres<br />
above sea level.<br />
their annual consumption has increased<br />
from under 10 kg per capita in the early<br />
sixties to 21 kg today.<br />
Annual potato production is currently<br />
over 300 million tonnes and billions of<br />
people over the world consume this much<br />
appreciated tuber from the Peruvian<br />
Andes. In this regard, the FAO maintains<br />
that, since the early 60s, the surface area<br />
taken up by potato crops in the developing<br />
world, particularly China and India, has<br />
exceeded that of all other basic foodstuffs,<br />
with the demand in 2020 expected to be<br />
double that of 1993.<br />
Indeed, nowadays there are no countries<br />
where potatoes are not grown. China,<br />
Russia, India, the United States, Ukraine,<br />
Poland and Germany are the leading<br />
producers.<br />
However, although potatoes have played<br />
a fundamental role in relieving hunger on<br />
the planet, they have also been the cause of<br />
famines. From 1845 to 1848, four million<br />
people in Ireland died from hunger and<br />
malnutrition because of Phytophthora<br />
infestans, a terrible disease known as<br />
potato blight, which destroyed all the<br />
country’s crops.<br />
Hub of the potato universe<br />
Peru grows eight native potato species and<br />
2,300 of the nearly 5,000 current potato<br />
varieties. It is also home to 90 of the 200<br />
wild species growing on the American<br />
continent, making it the country with the<br />
greatest potato diversity in the world.<br />
The commercial varieties of potato found<br />
in Peru have curious names: Tomasa,<br />
Canchán, Amarilla, Colorada, Criolla,<br />
Tarmeña, Huamantanga, Peruanita, Perricholi,<br />
etc.<br />
One thing is clear: the potato, with all<br />
its different varieties, is a fundamental food<br />
crop for people in the Peruvian Andes.<br />
The potato is so important for feeding<br />
the world, that the United Nations General<br />
Assembly has declared 2008 the “Inter -<br />
national Year of the Potato”, justly<br />
acknowledging a crop which, although of<br />
local Andean origin and nature, is now part<br />
of our food heritage on a universal scale.<br />
This is the perfect occasion for attention<br />
to be paid to the potato by governments<br />
and the authorities involved in world food<br />
security and for Peru, as its source of<br />
origin, to assume leadership in fostering<br />
its worldwide growth and consumption.<br />
Indeed, the efforts made to promote the<br />
implantation and productivity of this crop,<br />
together with its post-harvesting management<br />
and consumption, will be most<br />
welcome.<br />
In this regard, Peru is privileged to<br />
house the headquarters of the International<br />
Potato Centre, the home of the most comprehensive<br />
genetic bank in the world,<br />
where highly qualified scientists from<br />
Asia, Africa, Europe, America and<br />
Oceania dedicate their lives to investigating<br />
production systems, natural resource<br />
management and crop and genetic resource<br />
enhancement and to preserving and<br />
protecting genetic material related to the<br />
potato and other tubers.<br />
Equally important is the research conducted<br />
at the centre relating to pests and<br />
diseases, use and processing methods, seed<br />
production and potato-related statistics.<br />
A Peruvian project, T´ikapapa, recently<br />
won the first prize in The World Challenge<br />
2007 competition from among 940 other<br />
projects. The contest, sponsored by the<br />
BBC and Newsweek magazine, seeks out<br />
development projects and businesses that<br />
not only make a profit but also put something<br />
back into the community. Making a<br />
difference through enterprise and innovation<br />
at a grass roots level is also a key<br />
requirement.<br />
T´ikapapa is a social marketing concept<br />
enabling resource-poor farmers from the<br />
Peruvian Andes to market their distinctly<br />
labelled native potato crops in Lima’s<br />
supermarkets.<br />
<strong>Bayer</strong> <strong>CropScience</strong> in Peru<br />
<strong>Bayer</strong> <strong>CropScience</strong> has been supporting<br />
these century-old crops in Peru for many<br />
years, with a broad range of high quality<br />
products including fungicides such as<br />
Antracol ® and Fitoraz ® , insecticides such<br />
as Regent ® , Bulldock ® and Alsystin ® and<br />
herbicides such as Sencor ® .<br />
Launches of new solutions are also<br />
being prepared for the future, including a<br />
new portfolio for controlling potato blight<br />
with fungicides such as Sectin ® /Sereno ® ,<br />
Consento ® , Infinito ® and Trivia ® .<br />
All these products also form part of a<br />
campaign to teach farmers how to safely<br />
manage and use crop protection products,<br />
together with application techniques. Run<br />
through the Agrovida ® programme and<br />
Integrated Crop Management at farming<br />
schools, it ensures healthy crops with eco -<br />
nomic profits.<br />
We are faced, then, with a fact and an<br />
opportunity. The fact is the ancestral origin<br />
of the potato, its diversity and its universal<br />
importance. And the opportunity to reinforce<br />
its importance as a foodstuff, enhance<br />
its production and increase its consumption<br />
is provided by the “Inter national Year<br />
of the Potato”. ■<br />
Written by:<br />
Fernando Cillóniz Benavides,<br />
Manuel A. Cueva, Javier A. Chávarro<br />
1/08 COURIER 27
Potato starch – a<br />
versatile commodity<br />
The potato is the world’s fourth most important<br />
food plant – after rice, wheat and maize.<br />
But that’s not all: the tuber’s starch content<br />
also makes the modest spud an extremely<br />
versatile and sustainable raw material.<br />
French fries, potato pancakes, fried potatoes<br />
– the potato seems to have an endless<br />
number of uses in the kitchen. Following<br />
its discovery in South America by Spanish<br />
colonialists in the 16th century, the potato<br />
plant Solanum tuberosum (from the<br />
Solanaceae family) spread around the<br />
globe. However, the indigenous people of<br />
South America had already recognised the<br />
value of the potato several thousand years<br />
earlier. Today, the potato is the number one<br />
staple food for more than a billion people,<br />
thanks to its excellent nutritional properties –<br />
reason enough for the United Nations to<br />
declare 2008 the “International Year of the<br />
Potato“. But the famous spud can do a lot<br />
more than just feed people. The potato’s<br />
starch content makes it an important sustainable<br />
raw material. It delivers the highest<br />
yield of starch per cultivated hectare (6.5<br />
tonnes - compared with 3 tonnes and 4.5<br />
tonnes for wheat and maize, respectively).<br />
Europe in the lead<br />
According to figures from the Food and<br />
Agricultural Organisation of the United<br />
Nations (FAO), approximately 314 million<br />
tonnes of potatoes were harvested around<br />
the world in 2006. More than two-thirds of<br />
the harvest were used for human sustenance.<br />
The rest was used for industrial<br />
uses, as animal feed, or as seed. There are<br />
no detailed data for the extent to which<br />
potatoes are used for non-nutritional purposes<br />
in the various regions of the world,<br />
but the figures for the nutritional use of<br />
potatoes at least give an indication: the<br />
proportion is considerably higher in Africa,<br />
28 COURIER 1/08
Starch – an impressively versatile commodity<br />
Paper- and cardboard manufacture: Starch improves the technical properties (e.g. it increases the paper’s<br />
firmness).<br />
Biotechnological raw material: Starch provides a substrate for growing the micro-organisms that generate<br />
useful end-products (e.g. vitamins, citric acid) through their metabolism.<br />
Textile industry: Starch ethers give yarns abrasion-resistance and smoothness. Swelling starch improves the<br />
product’s look and feel.<br />
Pastes and glues: Starches (e.g. swelling starch and starch ethers) are the basic raw materials.<br />
Pharmaceuticals and cosmetics: Use in powders, toothpaste and creams. Modified starches, used as additives<br />
in tablets, help them to dissolve in the body.<br />
Detergents: Starch is a starting material for biologically-degradeable sugar detergents.<br />
Biologically-degradeable materials: Starch is the raw material for plastic-like materials.<br />
1/08 COURIER 29
Some examples of the use of starch as a renewable raw material (from left to right):<br />
Wallpaper paste<br />
Carrier bags<br />
(Photo: novamont)<br />
America and Asia than in Europe. The production<br />
of potato starch for non-nutritional<br />
purposes is predominantly an activity of<br />
Western European nations (although Asia<br />
also uses a smaller amount of potato starch<br />
for industrial purposes).<br />
Each year, more than 9 million tonnes<br />
starch are produced in the European<br />
Union, of which around a fifth derives<br />
from potatoes and the rest from maize and<br />
wheat. Potato starch production in the EU<br />
is fixed by quotas: the total amount is almost<br />
2 million tonnes, of which the largest<br />
share goes to Germany (656,000 tonnes),<br />
followed by the Netherlands (507,000<br />
tonnes) and France (265,000 tonnes). More<br />
than 40% of the starch produced in the<br />
Community is used for non-food purposes.<br />
Native potato starch shows a higher<br />
viscosity than starch from wheat or maize.<br />
It possesses good water-uptake and<br />
swelling properties, as well as low thermal<br />
and electrical conductivity. Its chemical<br />
make-up comprises the carbohydrates<br />
amylose and amylopectin, each of which is<br />
suited to its own set of purposes, although<br />
for most uses, the branched amylopectin<br />
molecule is a more valuable starting material<br />
than the linear amylose. The average<br />
ratio of amylose to amylopectin in potato<br />
starch lies between 1:4 and 1:5.<br />
Late varieties preferred<br />
For starch production, simple late-ripening<br />
potato varieties are preferred. Around 400<br />
varieties of this type exist around the<br />
world. Their starch content of 17 to 20% is<br />
markedly higher than that of food potatoes<br />
(around 10%). On arriving at the starch<br />
factory, the tubers are first washed to<br />
remove any earth still sticking to them.<br />
Next, they are rasped and processed to produce<br />
a slurry, from which the potato starch<br />
is separated and dried in a succession of<br />
steps. The result is a highly pure native<br />
starch with a moisture content of around<br />
20%. A side-product of this process is<br />
potato pulp, which can be returned to the<br />
agricultural production cycle in the form<br />
of protein-rich animal feed.<br />
From glue to fuel<br />
The potato starch is processed further to<br />
produce raw materials for the paper, chemical,<br />
pharmaceutical and textile industries.<br />
The feel, smoothness and shine of the<br />
paper that brings this “Courier“ article to<br />
you could well be attributable to materials<br />
from processed potato starch. Adhesives<br />
derived from potato starch are also valued<br />
in medicine, because they are entirely free of<br />
health concerns: that’s why such adhesives<br />
are found in plasters and dressings. And<br />
many a stamp remains stuck to a holi day<br />
postcard thanks to starch and water.<br />
Potato starches can also be processed<br />
into films, carrier bags, disposable cutlery<br />
and packaging materials. These bio-materials<br />
can replace petroleum oil-based products;<br />
they are capable of being sprayed,<br />
formed or expanded into various shapes<br />
and containers. For example, your last<br />
tee-off at golf may well have been done<br />
from a starch-based tee. Bioplastics would<br />
be especially valuable in restricting the use<br />
of mineral oils and reducing waste if they<br />
were to be used more widely in short-lived<br />
products such as food-packaging, carrier<br />
bags, rubbish sacks and plant pots.<br />
Depending on how they are formulated,<br />
materials based on plant starches are biologically<br />
degradable; composting them<br />
brings the starches back into the production<br />
cycle. At present, the worldwide<br />
capacity for producing bioplastics is less<br />
30 COURIER 1/08
Compostable plates and saucers<br />
Toys (Photos: Kompetenzzentrum für Nachwachsende Rohstoffe,<br />
KoWaRo, Germany)<br />
than 100,000 tonnes a year; however, the<br />
European Bioplastics Association forecasts<br />
a rapid increase in capacity, with<br />
world-wide production exceeding 1.5 million<br />
tonnes by 2011, not least because of<br />
high oil prices and the question of climate<br />
change. In countries such as France, Italy<br />
and Australia, there is a political will to<br />
introduce biologically-degradable carrier<br />
bags. Experts predict that with today’s<br />
technologies, biomaterials would be able<br />
to replace 1 to 2 million tonnes-worth of<br />
mineral oil-derived disposable plastics, so<br />
long as worldwide production capacity<br />
increases correspondingly. This will of<br />
course mean greater demand for potato<br />
starch.<br />
But the industrial application of starches<br />
from spuds is certainly not limited to<br />
these uses. Potato starches are also used to<br />
produce bio-surfactants that can replace<br />
synthetic detergents in washing powders,<br />
soaps and shampoos. And let’s not forget<br />
that potato starch can be fermented and<br />
distilled into bioethanol, which is being<br />
mixed with conventional petrol in a number<br />
of industrial countries. It is even economically<br />
worthwhile to produce biofuels<br />
from the peelings that are a by-product<br />
of the food industry. According to the<br />
German (Bavarian) raw materials network<br />
C.A.R.M.E.N., the long-term trend in the<br />
use of starches lies in chemical and technical<br />
applications.<br />
In the future, biotechnology may improve<br />
the efficiency with which renewable<br />
raw materials are obtained from potatoes,<br />
because gene technology can be used to<br />
alter a variety’s starch profile. But Agrobiotechnology<br />
will also help to protect the<br />
potato plant from the numerous pests and<br />
diseases that attack it. Given the growing<br />
world population, this is an important task<br />
– a hectare of potatoes not only has the<br />
potential to produce the highest starch<br />
yield for industrial uses; it could also be<br />
used to produce food with two- to fourtimes<br />
the nutritional yield of wheat, and<br />
a higher nutritional contribution per unit<br />
of water used than any other major crop<br />
plant. ■<br />
Written by: Norbert Lehmann<br />
Did you know that the potato…<br />
• was probably first cultivated more than 8,000 years ago, in the<br />
Andean highlands near Lake Titicaca<br />
• is grown today in more than 125 countries around the globe<br />
• is related to aubergine, tomato and tobacco, but not to sweet potato<br />
• is available in over 5.000 cultivars from more than 100 wild-types<br />
• provided – with its tiny starch grains – the basis for the Lumière<br />
brothers’ 1903 patent for a colour photography technique<br />
• comprises up to 80 % water<br />
• was the first vegetable to grow in space (onboard the Space Shuttle<br />
Columbia, in 1995)<br />
• is rich in vitamin C and essential minerals such as manganese,<br />
selenium and molybdenum<br />
• doesn’t absorb salt during cooking<br />
1/08 COURIER 31
Nature and technology<br />
Adhesives are common in nature. Paper<br />
wasps collect wood fragments in order<br />
to create the cellulose-based glue they use<br />
to build their nests. Spiders cover the<br />
threads of their webs with a thin layer of<br />
sticky material that leaves their prey no<br />
possibility of escape. Carnivorous plants of<br />
the genus Drosera (sundew) catch insects<br />
with glandular hairs (see picture) that<br />
secrete a sticky fluid.<br />
Mankind has been using adhesives for<br />
thousands of years – initially without understanding<br />
the principles of cohesion and<br />
adhesion that underlie stickiness. Intermole -<br />
cular cohesive forces hold the atoms and<br />
molecules of a material together, whereas<br />
adhesive forces determine the ability of two<br />
different materials to stick to each other.<br />
Today, the adhesive potential of natural<br />
substances is exploited in many ways – for<br />
example using casein (the milk protein of<br />
ruminants) to stick labels onto glass bottles;<br />
or starch from potatoes to produce corrugated<br />
cardboard. ■<br />
www.bayercropscience.com