In a significant advancement for home gardening and sustainable agriculture, Solynta, a Netherlands-based pioneer in true potato seed (TPS) technology, has entered into a collaboration with Pieterpik, one of Europe’s foremost seed suppliers to the home garden market. This partnership is set to revolutionize how potatoes are grown in home gardens across the European Union (EU) by making high-quality hybrid TPS readily available to consumers.
Expanding Access to Hybrid True Potato Seeds
The agreement permits Pieterpik to market and distribute several varieties of Solynta’s hybrid true potato seeds throughout the EU’s home garden sector. These seeds will be available under Pieterpik’s brands, packaged in pictorial seed sachets, and distributed to a wide range of retail outlets, including garden centers, DIY stores, and supermarkets. This initiative aims to provide home gardeners with the opportunity to cultivate new hybrid potato varieties from seed, similar to other vegetables traditionally grown from seeds.
The collaboration was officially announced on January 23, 2025, and the true potato seeds were showcased at the International Plant Market (IPM) in Essen, Germany, from January 28 to 31, 2025. This premier horticulture trade fair provided an ideal platform to introduce this innovative product to a broad audience of gardening enthusiasts and professionals.
Advantages of True Potato Seeds
Growing potatoes from true seeds, as opposed to traditional seed tubers, offers numerous benefits:
- Disease-Free Planting Material: True potato seeds are inherently free from diseases that can afflict tuber-based propagation, ensuring healthier plants and reducing the need for chemical interventions.
- Extended Shelf Life and Storage Efficiency: These seeds boast a long shelf life and are significantly smaller in size, making them more economical to transport and store compared to bulky seed tubers.
- Scalability and Year-Round Availability: The production of true potato seeds can be rapidly scaled and is not season-dependent, providing consistent availability throughout the year.
- Enhanced Breeding Potential: Through Solynta’s non-GMO hybrid breeding technology, these seeds can be developed with desirable traits such as disease resistance and climate resilience, offering gardeners robust and adaptable potato varieties.
Statements from Industry Leaders
Bas Doorten, Managing Director of Pieterpik, expressed enthusiasm about the partnership:
“Potato seeds are the very latest addition to our assortment of seeds. We see great potential in hybrid true potato seeds. It’s a new, exciting way to grow delicious potatoes in your own garden, just like any other vegetable grown from seed. Therefore, true potato seeds fit perfectly in our current vegetable seed portfolio.”
Xarain van Os, Business Development Manager of Solynta, highlighted the broader implications of the collaboration:
“At Solynta, we are rapidly expanding our commercial activities around the world. Our primary focus is on adding new, robust varieties to the professional market and open-field application by potato growers. This collaboration allows us to introduce our innovation in the consumer market. Pieterpik has over 120 years of experience in this specific market. We feel it is a great opportunity for home growers to enjoy our hybrid potato innovation in their own garden.”
The partnership between Solynta and Pieterpik marks a transformative step in home gardening, enabling enthusiasts across the EU to cultivate advanced potato varieties from true seeds. This initiative not only enhances the gardening experience by offering disease-free, easy-to-store, and high-performing seeds but also contributes to sustainable agricultural practices by reducing the reliance on traditional seed tubers. As these hybrid true potato seeds become more accessible, home gardeners can look forward to bountiful harvests of delicious, home-grown potatoes.
