THE far-reaching possibilities presented by hybrid potato breeding took centre stage at Royal HZPC Group’s Potato Days, an annual event held by the seed potato company at its headquarters in Joure, Netherlands, recently.
Under the name NOVA, Royal HZPC Group will introduce its hybrid potato varieties in the coming years. In Kenya, the first variety has already been submitted for registration.
CEO Hans Huistra said this is a major milestone. “Although we cannot export to Kenya, farmers there will soon have access to certified, clean, and strong seed material,” he said.
“A hybrid potato tastes and looks just like the potato we all know. The difference lies in the breeding technique. With the right genetics, hybrid breeding allows us to develop new varieties faster. For example, when a new disease emerges, resistance can lead to a new hybrid variety up to twice as fast as with classical breeding. Hybrid potatoes can also be grown from seed—an innovation that opens new markets.”
Program Leader Hybrid Breeding at Royal HZPC Group, Ad Vrolijk, said that while hybrid breeding has been successful for decades in crops like maize and tomato, it was initially thought to be impossible for potatoes because of genetic limitations around self-pollination. But in 1999, Japanese scientist Hosaka published a discovery of a gene in a wild potato that enables self-pollination.
“Eventually, we succeeded in crossing this gene into existing varieties. Since 2011, our research team has invested heavily in hybrid breeding. And now, it’s paying off,” he said.
Hybrid breeding offers the greatest short-term potential in regions where growers lack access to high-quality seed potatoes. For example, in Kenya, only 10% of the 800,000 small-scale potato growers have access to clean and strong seed material.
Ad Vrolijk said: “In Kenya, late blight is a year-round problem. Crop protection products are hard to obtain, expensive, or misused. Many farmers spray little or not at all. That’s why we also test without crop protection. Our hybrid variety, codename D23HY2515, matches the yield of Kenya’s leading variety and is the only one that maintains its performance under high late blight pressure, thanks to its dual resistance.”
“Hybrid breeding is advancing rapidly, but seed potatoes remain essential,” said Hans. “Even with hybrid varieties, tubers are still the most reliable method for high yields.”
In Kenya, farmers using hybrid potatoes still follow the traditional process, most notably because plants from seed need more time to form large tubers and growers want to reuse their land after 100 days for another crop, he added.
According to Royal HZPC Group, it will take time before hybrid potatoes are introduced in Europe.
Ad said: “Creating pure parent lines—a crucial part of hybrid breeding—is an intensive and long-term process, and the standards in Europe and North America are higher. Here, we’ve worked with high-quality seed material for decades. At Royal HZPC Group, we’ve been breeding for over 125 years—you don’t catch up with that overnight.”
“In Kenya, we’re making a difference because access to quality seed material is limited. But it’s only logical that hybrid potatoes will eventually play a role in Europe too.”
