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102 POTATO GROWER | JANUARY 2018 102 POTATO GROWER | JANUARY 2018 WORLDWIDE IMPACT Attending the UN seed potato standards meeting Montana Seed Potato Certifi cation Program By Nina Zidack Director The Netherlands has replaced all post-harvest grow-outs with lab testing. A post-harvest test sample comes from 200 tubers, from which tests for six pathogens are conducted. TPS typically holds strong during the distribution process." We were able to view demonstration plots of this new variety at Bejo seed headquarters in Warmenhuizen. As expected, the potatoes are not nearly as uniform as those grown from tubers, but I was recently able to attend the Extended Bureau meeting of the 2017 Specialized Section of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), which was held in Emmeloord, Netherlands, at the NAK (Dutch General Inspection Service). This is informally referred to as the rapporteurs' meeting, and is held alternately with official meetings at the UN in Geneva, Switzerland. The funding for U.S. representation of seed potato agencies is provided by the Potatoes USA seed export program. A very informative portion of the meeting was devoted to true potato seed with a presentation by a representative of Naktuinbouw, the Netherlands Department for Variety Testing. Any new variety of potatoes must be listed in the Dutch Register of Varieties and has to meet criteria for distinctness, uniformity and stability. With an approved name, it can be granted plant breeders' rights. It must be listed in the National List of Varieties, and it must demonstrate value for cultivation and use. This was followed up by a tour of Bejo seeds in Warmenhuizen. Bejo has obtained breeders' rights on its first true potato seed (TPS) variety. It is described as follows on their website: "This new potato hybrid, Oliver F1, can be cultivated directly from botanical seed and, after transplanting, produces table potatoes in one season. Oliver F1 is a slightly floury table potato with an oval shape, a beautiful smooth skin and a very good flavor." Bejo's initial target market is Africa. "The advantages of TPS are particularly important for smallholder farmers in Africa, Asia and Central America," says Rien van Bruchem, Bejo's TPS crop manager. "In these developing regions, long distribution times for tuber potatoes can have devastating effects on the quality of the propagation material. In contrast, the quality of AUTOMATICALLY GRADE BY SIZE AUTOMATICALLY GRADE BY SIZE AUTOMATICALLY GRADE BY SIZE AUTOMATICALLY GRADE BY SIZE AUTOMATICALLY GRADE BY SIZE AUTOMATICALLY GRADE BY SIZE AND QUALITY ON ONE MACHINE! AND QUALITY ON ONE MACHINE! AND QUALITY ON ONE MACHINE! AND QUALITY ON ONE MACHINE! AND QUALITY ON ONE MACHINE! AND QUALITY ON ONE MACHINE! • Tremendous accuracy on both size and quality grading • Up to 13 outlets available • Handles all potato varieties • Use Celox to maximize the value of your potatoes! Please contact us: Ag-Pak Inc., 8416 State St., Gasport, NY 14067 • Phone: 716-772-2651 Fax: 716-772-2555 • Visit our website at www.agpak.com CELOX P-UHD 163609AgPak13h.indd 1 6/23/17 2:03 PM 170088AgPak13h.indd 1 11/20/17 4:24 PM