Potato Review

26 POTATO REVIEW NOVEMBER 2021 AGRICO VARIETY DAYS now been in small-scale commercial trials with customers, and has been packed for several major reatilers. We’ve grown some seed this year fromDutch input, which will give us the ability to carry on the development trials process, albeit with only slightly increased volume. We’ve also started production of high-grade seed in Scotland, but with the ban on imports supply-side challenges will persist until Scottish multiplication can deliver a sustainable supply of commercial-grade seed.” Also on showwas Twinner, an early maincrop Next Generation variety with a deep yellow flesh. Said to have very good eating qualities, it has a slightly higher dry matter, so can also suit a processing outlet. Agrico UK Sales Manager Alex Moore said: “It’s quite nitrogen-hungry, but has performed well in organic trials with Branston, standing up well to blight and producing yields of 55-60t/ha.” Twister is Agrico’s prime hope as a future white packing variety. Another Next Generation type with strong blight resistance, plus resistance to virus Y, it produces tubers ideally shaped for the UKmarket, suggested Alex. “It scores double nines for blight, and with a 19% dry matter fits sectors such as the packing market, suiting the likes of McCain for two/ four tray frozen bakers. It can yield 80t/ha with a 60% baking fraction, and stores through to June. UK seed production has begun.” Babylon is a new early maincrop variety which has attracted strong interest from customers, with seed available, says Agrico. A high-yielder, it is ideally suited to chipping. “It’s an Agria mutant, with very yellow flesh, 21% dry matter, and stable sugars,” Alex explained. “In the field it has good virus and spraing resistance, and in store shows excellent dormancy. With the loss of Agria imports, there’s been lots of interest in it. UK seed is available – although not as much as we’d like. “We also have Lugano, another yellow- fleshed early maincrop processing variety with good PCN resistance that also stores well.” Agrico has put significant investment into Babylon and Lugano marketing campaigns in recent months, targeting chip shops via its ‘Chippy Chat’ promotion to highlight the variety to end users and create market pull for potential Agria replacements. Everything now coming through Agrico’s breeding programme now has blight resistance bred into it, says Archie Gibson. Several varieties in development were attracting attention for their strong blight scores, which Agrico suggests allow more spraying flexibility in challenging seasons.