Potato Grower

30 POTATO GROWER | JANUARY 2016 Sodium chloride—it's a commonplace, fairly unglamorous substance. Even its chemical makeup is deliciously simple: a 1-to- 1 ratio of sodium and chloride ions. You know the stuff as salt, and it is everywhere. It's such a staple that you probably had to re-gift three or four sets of salt and pepper shakers you got for your wedding. Even the most ardent of potato purists sprinkle a little salt on their crispy-skinned russet when it comes out of the oven. Yet, despite its quietly lofty status in the culinary world, salt sure can cause problems when it comes to producing the food with which it is ultimately meant to team up. Currently, about 3.7 billion acres worldwide that might otherwise be considered arable are deemed unfit for agricultural production because of high levels of salt in the soil, with that number growing by an estimated 7 acres per minute. That "lost" acreage, according to some experts, leaves around $27 billion in agricultural production on the table annually. Another issue pops up when soil is fertile but only brackish water or seawater is available. But some enterprising researchers don't believe it has to be that way. For several years, Salt Farm Texel, located on the Dutch island of Texel, has been experimenting with and testing the salt tolerance of different cultivars of several crop species. Chief among the crops Salt Farm Texel works with is the potato. "We've screened at least 300 varieties of potatoes in the last couple years," says Salt Farm Texel CEO Robin Konijn. "Some of those were already on the market, and some were still in the development stage. And a few of them have been successful." By "successful," Konijn means that Salt Farm Texel has developed potatoes that not only survive, but thrive in salt-affected areas and don't require freshwater irrigation to grow. Their ultimate goal is to increase access to these potatoes, thereby contributing to more efficient use of saline lands and waters. Achieving that goal would not only increase the amount of land available for potato cultivation; it would also reduce the pressure already placed on freshwater resources, particularly in drought-stricken areas. Konijn points to California, which has suffered from extreme drought for a few years now, as an area where salt-tolerant agriculture holds a lot of potential. "In California right now, there is a severe shortage of sweet water," he says. "Agriculture takes about 70 percent of all available sweet water. "The amount of brackish water in the world is about equal to the amount of sweet water. So if you can work with brackish water, your chances will be much better." Salt Farm Texel was selected in 2014 to participate in Securing Could salt-tolerant potatoes be the next big thing? By Tyrell Marchant WORTH THEIR SALT

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