Potatoes are grown in different regions in Brazil, between 31°S and 13°S latitude and between 19m and 1360m altitude. In 2015, the total growing area was about 127,000 ha with an average yield of 28.7 tha. Close to 90% of this area is planted with foreign cultivars, which lack adaptation to the country's ecological conditions and culinary quality to meet consumer requirements. Consumption of fresh potatoes is decreasing; while processed products are increasing, especially French fries.
Embrapa (Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation) has been carrying on a breeding program to develop well adapted and market quality varieties, targeting to obtain high-yielding, improved tolerance to biotic and abiotic stress-cultivars, focusing on the producing regions and consumer markets in the country, for both fresh market and processing.
The Embrapa potato breeding program is organized as a research network. It is carried out by three Embrapa research centers/stations (Embrapa Clima Temperado, Pelotas, RS, 32°S 52°W, 60m; Embrapa Hortaliças, Brasília, DF,16°S 48°W, 998m; Embrapa Produtos e Mercado, Canoinhas, SC, 26°S 50°W, 839m), and complemented by state research institutes and universities. The program also maintains collaboration agreements with international partners for cultivar development, germplasm and methodology exchange, and with the Brazilian Potato Association for validation tests of elite clones. The program is based on conventional methods supplemented with molecular techniques. Yearly, about 50,000 new seedlings are included in the selection process.
Besides the variability generated in the program, true potato seedlings and pre-selected clones from other programs are introduced for selection. Hybrid seedling populations are submitted to selection for horticultural and quality traits during four successive generations. The selected (advanced) clones are, then, tested in yield trials as well as evaluated for resistance to main biotic and abiotic stresses,tested for culinary and processing quality. Clones showing potential to become new cultivars are validated by collaborator growers and industries, and simultaneously tested for registration. Clones approved are registered, protected and released as named cultivars.
In the last nine years, four cultivars were released by the program. ‘BRS Ana’, a dual-purpose variety, suitable for both processing (French fries) and fresh market was released in 2007. It has a high yield potential of red-skinned, oval-shaped,and white fleshed tubers. It is moderately susceptible to late blight and moderately resistant to early blight and to PVY. ‘BRS Clara’, a fresh market cultivar with good resistance to late blight and high yield potential was released in 2010. Tubers have yellow and smooth skin, oblongshape, and creamy flesh. It is rated as regularly good to good for salad, and lightly good for baking. It is moderately resistant to early blight, and susceptible to PVY. ‘BRSIPR Bel’, a chipping and shoestring cultivar with high yield potential, was jointly released by Embrapa and Iapar (InstitutoAgronômico do Paraná) in 2012. Tubers are smooth yellow-skinned, oval-shaped, creamyfleshed, which produce light color chips and shoestring fries. It is moderately susceptible to late blight, moderately resistant to early blight and to PVY. ‘BRS F63’ (Camila), a fresh market cultivar with extreme resistance to PVY was released in 2015. Tubers areoval-shaped, yellow smooth skinned and light yellow fleshed. With a firm texture, it is excellent for boiling and use in salads; a specialty/salad potato variety. It has high and stable yield potential in the subtropical conditions, moderately resistant to late and early blight.
These cultivars are very promising as to its adoption by the potato chain, suggesting good prospects for the Embrapa breeding program in the development of new competitive cultivars.
For more information:
Arione da Silva Pereira (Embrapa Clima Temperado)
Giovani Olegário da Silva (Embrapa Hortaliças)
Nelson Pires Feldberg (Embrapa Produtos e Mercado)