Engineering the perfect spud

Research will soon begin in the UK with the aim of developing a new potato which could be better for the environment, healthier for consumers and cheaper to produce.

The TSL Potato Partnership Project headed by Professor Jonathan Jones has received funding for the next five years, 10% of which will be provided by the project’s industrial partners: BioPotatoes UK and Simplot, based in the US. If the project is successful, both companies will invest in taking the potato through the process of regulatory approval and to market in the US and Europe.

The project, which takes a GM approach, aims to combine the benefits of research from TSL, The University of Leeds and Simplot in one Maris Piper potato that will be resistant to late potato blight and potato cyst nematodes. It will also contain much lower than normal levels of reducing sugars and asparagine — naturally occurring chemicals in many starchy foods that form acrylamide when cooked at high temperatures. In addition, by silencing a polyphenol oxidase, it will be less prone to bruise damage, which will reduce food waste caused by discarding bruised tubers.

It is estimated that late potato blight costs UK potato farmers an average of £55 million per year in losses and costs of controls, while potato cyst nematodes cause up to £26 million a year in losses. Two out of five possible pesticides used to control potato cyst nemotodes have already been withdrawn from use by the EU, while the other three are under review. If they became unavailable, losses would increase to £55 million, leaving little or no control of the serious pest which can wipe out an entire crop. Bruising is said to cost British potato farmers £26 million per year and causes significant wastage in the supply chain and in the home.

Professor Jones said: “We’re still some years away from our final crop. It would need to go through all the necessary approval processes. If it passes those tests and if it is approved for planting, this potato could prevent many tonnes of pesticides and fungicides being sprayed on our land, increase yields and make a healthier crisp or chip.”