Potatoes with purple tubers have been available on the domestic market for some time . After getting acquainted with the place of their origin, indicated on the shop label, we learn that these are not native varieties. Meanwhile, it turns out that only the last straight line separates us from registering a Polish potato with an anthocyanin-colored flesh in the National Register of Varieties COBORU.
After many years of breeding work that took place in the Zamarte Potato Farm , an exceptionally healthy and unusual, purple-colored potato variety was obtained – Provita . We received information about her from the very heart of the breeding. I present an exceptionally interesting conversation with Ms Aleksandra Bech – breeding specialist in Zamarte Potato Breeding.
I cordially invite you to read the short interview in an interesting way.
The first question that comes to mind is the taste of potatoes with a purple tuber. Does Provita variety of potatoes taste different from those commonly known and liked by consumers?
– Potatoes with a purple flesh have a slightly noticeable taste of anthocyanins, which give them a characteristic color. Most people will find their taste very similar to classic varieties with white or yellow flesh. Taste is a very subjective feeling. It’s best to try it and see for yourself.
As for the purpose of Provity, a typical salad potato (culinary type A)?
– Provita is culinary type B – general purpose. This is the most common type of culinary on sale. The flesh of varieties classified as this type remains quite firm after cooking, but is easily crushed under the pressure of a fork. Type B potatoes are often served with dinner, but are also used in purée.
In your article “Breeding and health-promoting properties of purple-colored potatoes” you show the beneficial effect of eating purple-colored potatoes on inhibiting cell proliferation in cancer cells, activating the process of apoptosis, i.e. programmed cell death. Does this mean that eating purple-colored potatoes can reduce the risk of cancer and even slow the development of cancer cells and delay the aging process of the human body?
– I believe that including Provity in your diet will allow you to enrich it with anthocyanins, which have anti-cancer properties. They give Provita its characteristic violet color, but not only her, but also other plants. Eating plenty of fruit and vegetables, including Provity, can significantly reduce the risk of cancer, but only if we take care of a hygienic lifestyle (a balanced diet and physical activity).
Can you introduce my readers to other pro-health properties of Provity?
– The anthocyanins contained in Provit have a positive effect on many systems in our body. First of all, they quench free radicals and thus protect our DNA from damage. In addition, they have a beneficial effect on the lipid profile and increase the sensitivity of cells to insulin. They protect the circulatory system, reducing atherosclerotic changes in blood vessels and strengthen the capillaries. They stimulate the production of rhodopsin, which is responsible for our visual apparatus, it allows us to see better at dusk. It is worth adding that scientists have so far not detected the negative effects of anthocyanins on the human body.
Certainly, eating Provita has a beneficial effect on human health. However, do you have such data, or have appropriate tests been carried out: what should be the daily consumption of purple-colored tubers in order for our body to feel the positive effects of all substances provided in the consumed purple potatoes? How many grams of Provity a healthy adult would have to eat per day to be able to fully benefit from its benefits?
– There are many scientific publications concerning purple-colored potatoes and their positive role in the diet. This year the variety Provita went to the University of Life Sciences in Wrocław, where it will be thoroughly tested. The level of polyphenolic compounds (including anthocyanins) and the antioxidant potential will be tested. At the moment, we know that the intense purple color of the flesh indicates a large amount of anthocyanins in the tubers. The amount of dyes in purple potatoes in 100 g of fresh weight is similar to the amount of dyes in 100 g of fresh weight of strawberries, red onions or red cabbage. It is worth emphasizing that all potatoes, not only purple ones, have many valuable ingredients for our body. They contain easily digestible carbohydrates, protein comparable to the nutritional value of a chicken egg.
Please tell my readers about the breeding process itself. It is extremely interesting. Do I have good information that the cultivation of the Polish purple potato variety lasted 15 years? What was it about?
– The purple-colored forms of the flesh obtained in the first stage of breeding constitute only 1% of the entire structure of creative breeding. This is a marginal direction.
Hodowla Ziemniaka Zamarte Sp. z o. o. – The IHAR Group focuses primarily on the creation of edible varieties with a shortened growing season. In addition, we also breed fries, crisps and starch potatoes.
Potato breeding begins with selecting the appropriate parental components. In the case of purple potatoes, it is important that one of the parent forms has an intensely, evenly colored flesh. Tubers that do not have a blue pigment in them are discarded from this combination at an early stage. Many features are assessed in the following years, including length of the growing season, mesh depth, taste, color after cooking, yield, resistance to pathogens. Families characterized by positive features go to COBORU. Provita was one of such families. It passed the entire breeding cycle positively and was finally included in registration tests. It is after the second year of registration research, we are waiting for the registration committee in COBORU, which will take place next year in January. We hope,
What was the most difficult for breeders?
– The greatest challenge was to obtain a variety with good agrotechnical and functional characteristics with homogeneously colored solid flesh under various conditions. The choice of components responsible for the purple color of the flesh is significantly limited, as there are few varieties with this color. Additionally, most of them have low-level qualitative and quantitative characteristics and are varieties with a long growing season. In the case of Provita, we managed to overcome several breeding barriers, as a result of which we obtained a variety with a smooth enough skin to be washed, has shallow eyes, quite high yield, additionally it is early and resistant to major diseases, maintaining a very intense and uniform violet color of the flesh.
Please introduce Provita in numbers. This is what interests my readers the most. Yield, starch content, tuber size.
– Provita:
- Early variety (maturity after about 80 days of vegetation);
- Round tubers with marked eyes (COBORU 6.6);
- Culinary Type B;
- Starch content approx. 13.5%;
- Medium-sized tubers;
- Yield 37 t / ha.
If only you could tell me about Provita’s immunity and susceptibility to disease. Or, like Gardena, is Provita resistant to potato blight?
– Provita is not a late blight resistant variety. On a scale of 9 (1-susceptible, 9 completely resistant), her resistance is 4.
It is resistant to the potato cancer Synchytrium endobioticum – patotype D1
The variety is tolerant to the occurrence of internal and external tuber defects.
Is Provity growing different from other varieties?
– Growing Provity is no different from growing other edible varieties.
What can attract consumers to purple potato tuber varieties? How can you encourage them to buy such an unusual product?
– Nowadays, people are more and more aware and pay more attention to the products they buy. The additional health benefits associated with the presence of anthocyanins may encourage consumers to replace traditional-colored (white or yellow) flesh-colored potatoes with purple potatoes, due to the increased health benefits of purple tubers.
Hodowla Ziemniaka Zamarte Sp. Z o. O. – IHAR Group expects Provity to be registered by COBORU in January 2021. What will be the distribution of seed potatoes? Will Polish farmers be able to plant a purple variety of potato next year?
– Unfortunately, the process of introducing new varieties of seed potatoes to the market is longer than in other species, and it will be necessary to wait 2-3 years for seed potatoes in a qualified grade, available to farms.
Have there been any marketing research on its future sales? Is the Polish market prepared to accept the purple potato variety?
– There is considerable interest in Provita, both on the part of gastronomy and consumers. Provita was for some time sold by one of the retail chains and enjoyed great interest among customers. Our market research has shown that there is room for Provity in the market for this type of variety, especially because of its superior qualities to most of the types available on the market.
