Recently, Agrico presented two new potato varieties during the Meet & Greet event at its breeding and research farm in Bant.
In the greenhouse at Agrico Research, fifty varieties were on display for the visitors, with an extra focus on the spotlight varieties and the two new Agrico varieties.
Of course, Jolene and Fenna, the two new Agrico varieties have been added this year to the Dutch Variety List.
“Jolene can justifiably be called a ‘multi-purpose’ variety. With its long-oval tubers and clear smooth skin, this variety always presents itself exceptionally well. Jolene is perfect for fresh home fries. Whether baked, boiled, or included in other dishes, there is no doubt that consumers will be happy with the result,” according to a recent press release.
On the other hand, Fenna is the ‘Next Generation’ variety, a ware potato with a firm cooking type, which was mainly developed to be grown conventionally with a decreased use of chemical products, as well as organically.
“In 2021, the prevalence of late blight was exceptionally high. Fenna’s resistance gene turned out to be one of the strongest this year and almost no late blight damage was found in this variety this year. Fenna also has a beautiful, smooth skin that is easy for consumers to remove and, after correct preparation, is delicious in a wide range of meals,” the company’s experts added.
Three Spotlight Varieties
The spotlight varieties consisted of three young promising Agrico varieties. One of them is Chateau, a true salad potato. The segment is traditionally characterized by a preferably long-oval shape, which is ideally slightly curved.
“The slightly curved shape is considered to be a quality feature by consumers [..]. This variety has cooking type A, which means very firm. The variety must also have a fine cell structure and, of course, a delicate taste. That is because salad potatoes belong in the higher potato segment,” Agrico’s representatives mentioned.
Twister is a variety with an unusual development process. The variety was bred at a fully organic farm. This breeder focused on improving Agrico’s variety portfolio for organic growing. Late blight resistance was therefore also a must and early ripening a clear advantage.
“Both of these traits are represented in Twister and the variety was therefore also positively received. Through the introduction of the ‘Next Generation’ concept, this variety also attracted the interest of conventional growers in other countries. When the variety was introduced in, for example, Italy it was found to have a significant yield potential. These results significantly increase this variety’s sales opportunities and Agrico anticipates a great future for Twister in Europe,” said Agrico’s experts.
Last but not least, Paradiso is a ware variety, which is particularly suitable for growing in countries around the Mediterranean Sea. Within this segment, the variety Arizona is currently Agrico’s most important asset.
“However, this variety lacks the beautiful skin and longer tuber shape that would lead to even higher sales. Paradiso does, however, have these two characteristics, meaning there is room in the same markets as Arizona, and there are many of these markets,” the company’s experts explained.
Agrico has organized a well-attended varieties show, which takes place in early November, during which it presents its latest growing results to interested parties all over the world.
