Breeding

Potato breeding – a potent answer to today’s challenges

A growing global population, climate change, extreme weather events, new pests and plant diseases – all over the world, society, agriculture and the food industry are facing huge challenges. One key to meeting these challenges is plant breeding. With targeted breeding, we can develop more resistant, higher-yielding potato varieties that are also better able to tolerate heat, cold or drought, and thus make a direct contribution towards creating a sustainable agriculture for the future.

„Being breeders, growers, and traders, the colleagues in the Solana Group precisely understand which traits are gaining significance. Based on this knowledge, we can already begin planning crosses today to develop the varieties that will meet customer preferences in 10 years.“

Dr. Gunther Stiewe
Head of Research & Development

We invest into the future!

Our invest in R&D is 16,5 % of sales

Our objectives

With plant breeding, we have a powerful tool to meet many challenges. Since our company was founded in 1905, plant breeding has been a problem solver for the challenges of our time. Since the Solana Group was founded, the focus has been on food security and avoiding crop failure, with resistance breeding, sustainability and the effects of climate change playing the most important role today.

High market yield
Yield security through resistance to biotic and abiotic stress, i.e., diseases, pests, and weather extremes
Storage properties: long shelf life and resistance to damage during the storage and removal process
Optimal processing properties in close cooperation with the processing industry
Good taste and an appealing appearance for table potatoes in all cooking segments: floury, primarily waxy, and waxy potatoes
Potato tuber shape, skin and flesh colour tailored to the requirements of local markets

Know-how in every potato

Research projects

As an independent family business, we are committed to our own objectives and standards – and at the same time, we participate in research projects of the German government and international universities – ensuring that we are always at the cutting edge of science and able to contribute towards the transfer of knowledge.

With diversity and a lot of passion

Breeding programms

We run two independent breeding programmes, each with its own breeding objectives and gene pool, and we test potential variety candidates for several years at many different trial locations around the world. In this way we ensure that our varieties are only approved for use once we have trialled and tested them exhaustively from tuber to leaf apparatus and under all sorts of conditions.

Breeding – how a new variety is created

Selection

The first step is to select suitable parent plants that have the desired positive characteristics – such as good tolerance to heat, good storage suitability or certain disease or pest resistance.

Create variation: Crossing plants

The parent plants are crossed. This crossing – i.e., the pollination of the potato flower – is carried out by hand in our crossing garden at our breeding station. Every year, we cross around 150 different potato genotypes under strictly controlled conditions in around 450 crossing combinations.

Selecting the best

The results are cross-bred berries: They contain seeds that are all genetically different – just like siblings. They are all potential candidates for a variety. Every year, we grow 200,000 plants from the seeds obtained, on which small potato tubers grow. The best ones are selected through several years of tests and trials at different locations and in different regions. Tests are also carried out in the laboratory and in the kitchen, for example to check their suitability for consumption. Only the best and most resistant variety candidates are taken forward to be registered as a variety with an EU plant variety office. Here, tests are carried out once again before a variety is officially approved.

Looking towards the future through research and development

Our research and development is focused on the forward-looking planning of tomorrow's breeding goals. Scientifically grounded research is essential to meet the constantly changing nature of these goals.
Our scientific teams therefore carry out numerous R&D projects in collaboration with companies and in national and international networks with leading scientific institutes. This work is aimed at the continuous genetic improvement of our breeding material, the development of innovative methods of variety breeding and ensuring the quality of our seed potatoes.

Our research and development activities focus on

Developing varieties tailored to the needs of our customers
We use quantitative genetics and mathematical models to optimise the breeding process
Development and optimisation of test systems for direct or indirect verification of breeding success
Marker-assisted selection – DNA diagnostics for efficient selection in breeding material
Use of research collaborations to implement the latest techniques and scientific findings in the breeding process

Incidentally, plant breeding is organised like an open-source project: any breeder can access any variety from another breeder in order to continue breeding with it. All breeders thus benefit from breeding progress – and farmers and consumers ultimately do, too.

More information