Chapter 2.

Hybrid potato breeding and

production systems
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P. Lindhout1* and P.C. Struik2

1
Solynta, Dreijenlaan 2, 6703 HA Wageningen, the Netherlands; 2Centre for Crop Systems Analysis,
Wageningen University & Research, Bornsesteeg 48, 6708 PE Wageningen, the Netherlands;
[email protected]

Abstract
In this chapter, we describe the technical aspects of hybrid potato breeding, the implications
for cultural practices, cropping systems, product development and global food security. Diploid
hybrid breeding allows the breeders to focus on selecting the right combination of parents instead
of selecting the right clone. Combining the most suitable parents results in homogeneous hybrids
that can be tested in different environments. It allows to stack resistance genes, stack complex
traits, create uniform offspring, makes breeding results more predictable, the production of a new
cultivar much faster and the possibilities for innovative products and value creation much more
abundant. However, diploid breeding followed by a seed system based on true potato seed may
cause disruptive change, for breeders, regulators and policy makers, seed growers, ware growers,
traders, and consumers. The biggest bottlenecks are in the agronomy of growing a crop from very
tiny true potato seeds (TPS). Options include direct sowing, producing transplants or producing
seedling tubers. A paradigm shift in the production system must create the conditions for a
successful hybrid TPS value chain. Many companies and research institutes are now developing
hybrid breeding programmes in potato, mostly based on diploid breeding. The potential is huge,
including potato production in tropical lowlands on the basis of heat and drought tolerant hybrids,
resistance against bacterial diseases and viruses, and high-quality, healthy and innovative potato
products, thus contributing to a sustainable, food-secure, productive potato production value
chain.

Keywords: cropping system, production hybrid seeds, logistics

2.1 Introduction
Hybrid breeding is an advanced breeding system, whereby inbred lines are generated through
repeated selfings and crossed to generate hybrids. The inbred lines allow breeders to better control
genetics and this results in more efficient breeding. Many food crops have been adapted to hybrid
breeding (Ter Steeg et al., 2022). Potato has been recalcitrant as the tetraploid nature of commercial
potato cultivars and inbreeding depression have hampered the development of pure inbred
lines. Moreover, potato is traditionally propagated via seed tubers, while the product of hybrid
breeding is true seed. This different type of starting material further complicates the application of

Paul C. Struik, Peter R. Gildemacher, Dirk Stemerding and Pim Lindhout (eds.)
Impact of hybrid potato 17
DOI: 10.3920/978-90-8686-946-6_2, © P. Lindhout and P.C. Struik, 2023
 P. Lindhout and P.C. Struik

hybrid cultivars in potato tuber production, although it strongly increases the multiplication rate,
thereby reducing the number of years between making the cross and producing enough seed for
commercial use. The limitations caused by tetrasomic inheritance and inbreeding depression have
been overcome and at present, there are hybrid potato breeding programmes in the Netherlands,
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USA and China (Jansky et al., 2016; Lindhout et al., 2011, 2018; Zhang et al., 2021).

In this chapter, the technical aspects of hybrid potato breeding and the implications for cultivation
technologies and product development are briefly outlined. Attention is also paid to additional
changes in the potato production systems, when implementing hybrid potato cultivars. Finally
the potential impact on the global food security is addressed.

2.2 Traditional potato breeding

Traditional potato breeding starts with making crosses between tetraploid cultivars that have four
sets of chromosomes (Figure 2.1A). As both parents have a wide genetic variation of genes per
sister chromosome (are ‘heterozygous’), the offspring will segregate into a very wide collection
of genetic recombinations. So, all individuals of the progeny are genetically different. The art of
breeding is to identify the best genotype in this progeny, as a potentially new cultivar; such a new
genotype is subsequently multiplied clonally.

In a typical breeding programme, some ten to hundred thousands seeds are generated, sown and
seedlings are produced to produce first-year tubers, designated ‘F1 clones’. These clones are grown
in the field to evaluate the plants and tubers in the first year. This is repeated five to ten years,
while selections are done in each generation to remove clones with unacceptable quality, low
yields or high susceptibilities for diseases. Advanced technologies like marker assisted selection
can also be applied, mainly to select for the presence of disease resistance genes. The number of
selected clones is gradually diminished to only a few and the numbers of plants per clone that
are tested in the field, gradually increase. Finally, the most advanced clones are tested at several
locations in repeated field trials, with larger plot sizes (Stockem et al., 2022). When such selected
clones have shown added value compared with existing cultivars in the market, they can be
considered as a potentially new cultivar that are going to be commercialised. Such a clone is then
registered at national seed lists (Chapter 5) and tubers are propagated in the field for five to ten
generations to produce sufficient numbers of seed tubers to serve the farmers as starting material
for the production of ware potatoes. The reproduction factor of potato tubers is about ten. So,
to produce one million seed tubers (enough to plant 20 ha), starting from one single seed tuber,
will take six years.

The ware potato tubers are produced as a fresh product to consumers’ markets or as a bulk
product to processing plants, where they are processed into fries, chips, or other products. Usually,
specialised companies produce the seed tubers. They are experts in avoiding contaminations
with seed-borne viruses, bacteria, fungi and other pathogens, as well as seed-borne pests, such
as nematodes, to maintain a high quality level of the seed tubers. However, it is unavoidable
that some contamination occurs. Many countries have a severe governance system in place that
monitors seed tuber quality and provides certification based on strict criteria, on continuous

18  Impact of hybrid potato

 Chapter 2. Hybrid potato breeding and production systems

A Clonal tetraploid potato breeding

Cultivar A Cultivar B

Crossing 1 year
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F1 clones

Clone selection 5–10 years

New cultivar

Clonal propagation 5–7 years

New commercial cultivar

‘potato seed’

B Tetraploid true potato seed breeding (TPS)

Female germplasm pool Male germplasm pool

Intercrossing,
selfing and
selection
5-10 years
Female population Male population

Selection on hybrid
performance and
uniformity
Test crosses
Female parent population Male parent population
2 years

TPS cultivar

Figure 2.1. Schematic representation of two contrasting potato breeding systems. (A) traditional potato
breeding; (B) hybrid potato breeding.

degradation to a lower level of certification and on a flush-out scheme. After several generations
of seed tuber multiplication, the quality may drop below the level that is required for the lowest
grade of certification, and the multiplication of this badge will stop (it will be flushed out). Usually,
each year breeding companies start a fresh multiplication round for each cultivar with in vitro
plantlets that are completely free of any pathogen or pest. Breeding companies may produce large
quantities of mini-tubers per plant in the greenhouse, to give a boost to the production of clean
seed tubers, that are subsequently multiplied as described above.

These formal systems are in place in the higher income economies. Farmers in low- and middle-
income economies in Asia, Africa and South America usually produce their own seed tubers,

Impact of hybrid potato  19

 P. Lindhout and P.C. Struik

which is considered as an informal system without external quality control or certification.

The multiplications of seed tubers may continue for ten to twenty generations or more (Africa:
Gildemacher et al., 2009; South America: Navarrete et al., 2022). As these conditions are not
optimal, the seed tubers will rapidly accumulate diseases (so-called seed degeneration), which
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reduces the yield of the crop produced from these seed tubers. The yields in the informal systems
are usually about ten tons per ha, about five times lower than the productions in formal systems.
This yield gap is caused by low quality seed tubers and low-tech cultivation systems. Globally,
90-95% of seed tubers are produced in the informal system (Thomas-Sharma et al., 2016).

2.3 Hybrid true potato seed: hybrid potato breeding,

principle and practice
Hybrid potato breeding starts with the generation of inbred lines from the breeders’ germplasm.
After several rounds of inbreeding all genes on sister chromosomes are identical. Such a parent
line is considered ‘homozygous’ and the genes are ‘fixed’: the parent line can only pass a unique
and fixed composition of genes to the progeny. When both parents are fixed, the genetic make-
up of their progeny can reliably be predicted from the characteristics of the parent inbred lines.
Each individual plant has an identical chromosome set of both parents and is heterozygous but
all progeny plants are genetically identical, which results in a uniform phenotype (Figure 2.1B).

So, in a hybrid breeding programme, most emphasis is on the selection of superior inbred lines
that are generated by repeated selfings. This is efficiently done with diploid genotypes that have
one pair of each chromosome, as in each selfing generation the frequency of heterozygotes is
halved. For some typical pictures, see Figure 2.2. The development of homozygous inbred lines
via repeated selfings takes many more generations in a tetraploid genotype with four sets of
chromosomes (Lindhout et al., 2018). This is the main reason why hybrid potato breeders prefer
to use diploid genotypes.

A hybrid potato breeder can take advantage of genetics by studying the inheritance of the most
important traits. For instance, the heritability of crisp frying quality is high. This means that the
performance of the hybrids can be predicted from the performance of the parents (Figure 2.3).
The heritability of most of the qualitative traits of potato tubers is high (Adams et al., 2022). Inbred
lines are thoroughly tested to select parent lines with good combining abilities (i.e. lines that show
the ability to combine well with each other during the hybridisation process), thus allowing that
desired genes or features are efficiently passed down to their progenies. This selection process is so
efficient that the number of hybrids tested can be limited to merely several hundreds per season.
So, where in a traditional breeding programme most emphasis is on the selection of clones that are
clonally propagated, in a typical hybrid breeding programme, most emphasis is on the selection
of the right combination of parent lines. New hybrids are tested in the field and the best ones
are repeatedly tested at several locations and environments to eventually select the most robust
hybrids for registration and commercialisation (Stockem et al., 2020). However, the hybrid true
potato seed technology has certain consequences for breeding and multiplication that need to be
described in more detail below.

20  Impact of hybrid potato

 Chapter 2. Hybrid potato breeding and production systems

A B
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C D

Figure 2.2. Some examples of hybrid potato: (A) The size of true potato seeds compared with the size of
a seed tuber and of potato berries; (B) diploid potato growing in the field, the weaker plants at the front
are inbred progenies and the vigorous plants at the back are hybrid plants; (C) inbred lines growing
in the greenhouse; (D): harvesting a plot with advanced hybrids; (E) tuber yield of a promising hybrid
(photos: Solynta, 2019, 2022).

Impact of hybrid potato  21

 P. Lindhout and P.C. Struik

10

9
Crisp quality of hybrid offspring (field)
8
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1
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Crisp quality of parents (greenhouse)

Figure 2.3. Illustration of the high heritability of quality traits in hybrid breeding. Diploid potato inbred
lines were grown in the greenhouse and crossed to produce hybrid progeny seeds. The seeds were sown,
seedlings raised and transplanted into the field and cultivated as a crop to produce ware potato tubers.
The tubers of the parent lines and of the hybrid progenies were assessed for crisp quality. There is a
close association between the crisp quality of the offspring and the crisp quality of the parents. Similar
associations for conventional tetraploid cultivars would demonstrate a much poorer relationship between
crisp quality of the offspring and that of the parents.

2.4 Specific aspects of the hybrid true potato seed technology

As stated above, hybrid breeding takes advantage of knowledge on the inheritance of traits,
by efficiently selecting parent lines and combining or stacking desirable (either monogenic or
polygenic) traits in uniform offspring. Moreover, hybrid true potato seed (HTPS) allows rapid
multiplication of desirable genotypes without degeneration of the planting material and with low
costs of storage and transport. Some relevant aspects are explained below.

2.4.1 Uniformity

Hybrids are generated by crosses between inbred parents. Molecular markers may be helpful
to select the most homozygous parent lines (Zhang et al., 2021). When inbred parents are not
completely homozygous, this may result in genetically not completely uniform hybrid seeds. As it
takes much more generations to generate homozygous tetraploid lines, usually hybrids generated
from tetraploid inbred plants or populations lack uniformity (Lindhout et al., 2018). The initial
TPS cultivars generated by the International Potato Center (CIP) were tetraploid and hence lacked
good uniformity (Table 2.1). The present trend is to generate fully homozygous diploid lines and
hence the hybrids generated from these lines are uniform (Stockem et al., 2020).

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 Chapter 2. Hybrid potato breeding and production systems

Table 2.1. Main potato breeding systems.1,2

Vegetative system TPS (CIP system) HTPS

Ploidy level tetraploid tetraploid diploid
MAB introduction one gene 10-20 years 10-20 years 2-3 years
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MAB introduction two genes >25 years >25 years 3-4 years
Multiplication tubers (5-10 years) seeds (one season) seeds (one season)
Seed health high chance of clean clean
contamination
Uniformity high low high
Commercial interest proven limited growing
Conclusion Dominant system: CIP introductions: Potential: dynamic
Russet Burbank is mainly in developing introductions of
leading cultivar for world, area is innovative products,
>140 years declining value creation,
disruptive change
1
For comparison, traditional TPS is included that is not further outlined in this chapter, as it is hardly used anymore.
2
CIP = International Potato Center; HTPS = hybrid true potato seed; MAB = marker assisted backcrossing; TPS =
true potato seed.

2.4.2 Qualitative tuber traits

In traditional breeding, most emphasis is on the selection of qualitative tuber traits, as these
traits segregate in the progeny populations (see above). In contrast, due to the fixation of genes
in homozygous potato inbreds, the genes for qualitative traits in diploid inbred parents are fixed
and the quality traits of hybrids can well be predicted from the performance of the parent lines
(Adams et al., 2022). So, the majority of the tuber traits is selected in the inbred parents and the
hybrids are just checked to guarantee that the high tuber quality is maintained.

2.4.3 Plant vigour and tuber yield

The growth and tuber yield of potato plants are very sensitive to (fluctuations in) the environmental
conditions. Moreover, there is a large genotype by environment (G×E) interaction. In general, the
conditions in a greenhouse, where potato plants of the parents are grown in pots, are very different
from the natural field conditions where the offspring is selected. Therefore, the growth and tuber
yield of the offspring plants are not well predicted by growth and tuber yield of the parents. This
requires that these traits are evaluated in the natural conditions of a potato field. So, the growth
and tuber yield of potato hybrids are assessed in the field, preferably in randomised, repeated
trials under different conditions, locations and years (Stockem et al., 2020).

2.4.4 Trait stacking

In potato, there are many traits, that inherit as one locus or gene. Good examples are resistances
and genes involved in the synthesis of pigments, like anthocyanins and carotenoids (Haynes et
al., 2011; Van Eck et al., 1994). These genes can relatively easily be mapped on the potato genome

Impact of hybrid potato  23

 P. Lindhout and P.C. Struik

by genetic studies using molecular markers (Korontzis et al., 2020; Meijer et al., 2018). These
genes, often identified in wild species, can be introduced into potato parent lines by a process
designated ‘marker assisted backcrossings’. This is done by crossing the resistant donor with one
of the inbred parent lines of the hybrid), followed by two backcrosses to the same inbred parent
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line and finally the cross with both original parent lines to reconstitute the hybrid, but now with
one or two additional resistance genes. In this way, a susceptible hybrid can be converted into a
resistant hybrid with maintenance of the genetic composition, but with an additional resistance
gene (Figure 2.4; Su et al., 2020).

2.5 Hybrid true potato seed: seed production

The multiplication of hybrid seeds is very fast: a female inbred line is manually pollinated with
pollen from a male parent and each berry may contain hundred seeds, while a female plant
may produce dozens of berries and, thus, thousands of seeds. This can be done in a greenhouse,
allowing two cycles per year. Like with vegetable seeds, this can also be done in remote locations,
where the conditions for the production of clean hybrid seeds are favourable, like at high altitudes

Figure 2.4. Trait stacking in hybrid potato. Note that R1, Susceptible, R1 + R2 and R2 refer to the resistance
levels of the rows in which these codes appear. Field trial of potato hybrids with one or two resistance genes
to late blight (caused by Phytophthora infestans) and the susceptible control. Wild potato species carrying
a single resistance gene were crossed in 2015 with the parent plants of a susceptible hybrid. In 2016, the
F1s were backcrossed to the recurrent parent plants and the two parent lines with resistance genes were
crossed to reconstitute the hybrids with one (R1 or R2) or two resistance genes (R1 + R2). The susceptible
original hybrid was added as control. The susceptible control shows a high frequency of diseased plants,
some hybrids with one resistance gene (R1 or R2) show some diseased plants, while nearly all plants of
the double stack resistant hybrids (R1 + R2) are healthy at the end of the season (photo Solynta, 2017).

24  Impact of hybrid potato

 Chapter 2. Hybrid potato breeding and production systems

in tropical regions. There are only ten true-seedborne pathogens known in potato (Chapter 5,
Table 5.3). This is in great contrast to tuber-borne diseases as over 200 pathogens are listed as
tuber-borne (Gildemacher et al., 2009). Hybrid potato seeds are produced in greenhouses with
high phytosanitation conditions, principally hybrid potato seeds are devoid of any pathogen. These
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greenhouses are usually existing facilities and the technology of producing these hybrid potato
seeds is comparable to common production techniques. In this way, millions of clean hybrid seeds
can be produced in one year. The shipment to the regions where the seeds are grown is technically
simple as one kg may contain two million seeds. The most important limitations are the legal
restrictions for import and export of potato seeds (Chapter 5).

2.6 Hybrid true potato seed: agronomy of potato cultivation

from true seeds
True potato seeds are very small: there are about 2,000 seeds in one gram. Upon sowing, the seed
germinates into a seedling that grows into a plant that is similar to plants raised from seed tubers.
A farmer may start with true seeds and sow them in the field. Sowing needs to be done shallow,
followed by delicate construction of the ridges. However, direct sowing is risky as the young,
delicate seedlings have a low early vigour, have difficulty in acquiring the necessary resources (such
as light, water and nutrients), may not be competitive enough against weeds, may suffer from
pathogens (dying off) or may suffer from extreme conditions: heat, frost, drought, wind erosion,
etc. Alternatively, a farmer may sow the seeds in a protected environment like in a greenhouse or
nursery, where the conditions are favourable: no weeds and conducive environmental conditions.
At five to six weeks after sowing, the seedling is transplanted into the field. This is another risky
step as the seedling has to cope with a transplant shock and has to compete with weeds and deal
with different field conditions (van Dijk et al., 2021, 2022a,b). When established, the seedling
grows into a plant that is similar to a tuber raised plant (Kacheyo et al., 2021). In conclusion, the
technical systems to implement HTPS are in place, but the seed and ware potato growers, the
packers and processors, as well as the retailers will have to adopt these technologies.

2.7 Hybrid true potato seed: paradigm shift in the potato

production system
The entire potato production system consists of a chain of activities from research and breeding to
the final consumption of the fresh or processed products (Figure 2.5). Upon the implementation
of HTPS, many technologies have to be adapted. This goes for the breeding, production of true
hybrid seeds, sowing seeds, raising seedlings and transplanting into the field to produce seed
tubers or ware potatoes. For all these steps, the present stakeholders in the potato systems will
have to adopt these technologies and new stakeholders may take their positions in these steps.
The HTPS system is very similar to the systems of field grown vegetables, where also hybrid
seeds and transplanting technologies are used. It is expected that growers and seed companies,
who and which are experts in these technologies will easily adopt HTPS as it is just a new crop
in their portfolio of vegetables.

Impact of hybrid potato  25

 P. Lindhout and P.C. Struik

A
Seed core
Pesticide 1
Coating layer
Coating layer
Insecticide
Finishing layer
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Colour

Genetic Seed production Seed tuber Packing,

research Breeding production, farming processing, retail
& distribution

Crossing tetraploid cultivars

Vegetative propagation
Many years of selections in the field

Vegetative production of seed

tubers in the field

Ware potato production from

planted seed tubers in the field

B
Seed core
Pesticide 1
Coating layer
Coating layer
Insecticide
Finishing layer
Colour

Genetic Seed production Seedling production Packing,

Breeding processing, retail
research & distribution transplanting, farming

Generation of inbred lines by selfings

Crossings between inbred lines
Selections of parents and hybrids
Greenhouse and field testing

Large scale hybrid seeds production

Potato production from seedlings,

planted in the field
Figure 2.5. Schematic representation of potato systems with the main technologies used: (A) the traditional
potato system; (B) the hybrid potato system.

In addition, where nowadays seed tubers are stored and transported over the globe, in future
hybrid seeds may be distributed over the globe, where local players will produce seed tubers and
distribute them over the farmers. The storage, transport and handling of HTPS is much more
efficient than those of bulky seed tubers. So, the initial steps in the potato systems will change
but as soon as seed tubers are produced from HTPS, the farmers’ practices will largely remain
the same. If farmers see the advantages of HTPS and become familiar with the new technologies,
more farmers may follow this route. Still, farmers may have a mixed system whereby they regularly
purchase fresh seed tubers from the formal system, followed by a small number of saved seed

26  Impact of hybrid potato

 Chapter 2. Hybrid potato breeding and production systems

generations. These systems may go hand in hand and differ dependent on the geographies,
agronomic and economic conditions, and farmers’ communities and skills.

The driver for these changes is the added value of HTPS. As stated above, the advantages of HTPS
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are the faster development of new cultivars with new traits that are desired by farmers and by
other stakeholders in the potato systems.

In conclusion: HTPS is a new technology with great potential, but the implementation is
challenging as it affects many steps in the potato systems.

2.8 Hybrid true potato seed: state of the art in the context of
developing countries
The first publication about the development of HTPS appeared in 2011 (Lindhout et al., 2011).
The first hybrid field trials were done in 2015 and repeated in 2016 in the Democratic Republic of
Congo (DRC), Africa (De Vries et al., 2016; Figure 2.6). These field trials in the DRC were caried
out in an international context of developing countries with often a dominance of an informal seed
potato system and a high rate of seed degeneration of traditional seed potato production. Although
the genetic composition of the potato hybrids at that time did not meet the market demands (e.g.
in terms of uniformity of the hybrids and their produce), the added value of clean true potato seeds
was already so high that local farmers wanted to use these HTPS cultivars. Still, legal regulations did
not permit to use these hybrid cultivars and some more breeding was needed to further improve
these cultivars genetically. Similarly, already in 2017, a hybrid potato cultivar was generated with
two resistance genes against Phytophthora infestans. These ‘double stack’ cultivars showed a strong
resistance during the entire growing season (Su et al., 2020). But these cultivars were meant for
demonstration and were not genetically good enough for commercialisation.

One of the main challenges is the regulation of HTPS (see also Chapter 5). The breeding pipelines
of the HTPS breeding companies are very promising, but it takes some years before the added
value is proven in the field and in demonstration plots and before all regulations are in place to
transport and import HTPS over the globe, certify the quality of seeds and the progeny seed
tubers, and register the hybrid cultivars.

2.9 Hybrid true potato seed: global food security

HTPS has great potential to contribute to the global food and nutrient security (Global
Development Goal II: zero hunger; FAO, IFAD, UNIUCEF, WFP and WHO, 2019; FAO, 2021).
At present, all HTPS breeding programmes are executed in the northern hemisphere at mild
climatic conditions (Aardevo1; HZPC2; Solynta3; Jansky et al., 2016; Zhang et al., 2021). The
HTPS products are well suited for these mild climates and at high altitudes in tropical regions,

1
https://www.aardevo.com/en/.
2
https://tinyurl.com/yckv742w.
3
https://www.solynta.com/about-solynta/.

Impact of hybrid potato  27

 P. Lindhout and P.C. Struik

A B
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C D 30 Experimental trials

25

20
Yield (t/ha)

15

10

0
Local S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10
Hybrids S1-S10

Figure 2.6. First hybrid potato cultivation in Africa: (A) raising seedlings; (B) seedlings two weeks after
transplanting in the field; (C) harvested potato tubers; (D) relative yields of nine hybrids (S1…S10)
compared to a local control (photos: Solynta, 2016).

the centre of origin of potato. Implementation of HTPS requires technical adaptations that can
only successfully be implemented when this is supported by training and capacity building
programmes of the main stakeholders in the potato systems. This is a great challenge that is only
achievable by cooperations and coalitions: breeding companies will develop new HTPS cultivars
that are tested in the target markets over the globe, where local users can participate in selecting
the best adapted cultivars. These activities have to be embedded in the local potato systems with
active involvement of these stakeholders. Government bodies should implement the new rules
and regulations on HTPS. When these systems around HTPS are well organised and function
well, all stakeholders will benefit. This is crucial for the sustainability of this system. This means
that additional funding, including public funding, is required to set up the HTPS potato system,
but when it is established, no more funding is needed.

The long-term aim of this new technology is to develop HTPS cultivars that are adapted to cultivation
in the tropical lowlands. As no cultivated potato is adapted to tropical lowland conditions, a
completely new breeding programme – and in fact a new crop – has to be generated. This requires

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 Chapter 2. Hybrid potato breeding and production systems

a considerable investment, even higher than the present investment in the development of HTPS,
as the (diploid) hybrid breeding germplasm is well adapted to grow in the regions where potato is
already cultivated. Given the very large genetic variation in wild related Solanum species that are
crossable with cultivated potato (Solanum tuberosum), such a tropical lowland HTPS breeding
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programme is feasible and realistic. This requires strong public private partnership where inputs
and results are shared (Beumer and Stemerding, 2021; Beumer et al., 2020).

References
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