A major new development between breeder, grower-packer and retailer will see new, specially adapted potatoes grown in Scotland on an exclusive basis.

The Scottish Crop Research Institute (SCRI) and its commercial subsidiary Mylnefield Research Services (MRS) have teamed up with Taypack Potatoes to breed new varieties of potato for the fresh and baking markets, designed to suit the Scottish environment.

Nigel Kerby, md of MRS, and George Taylor, company director of Taypack Potatoes signed an agreement last week for a programme of potato breeding for top quality varieties for the fresh market. Factors such as taste, quality and appearance will be as important as their ability to grow in, and conserve, the Scottish environment.

Taypack will market the potatoes through Asda. The company is close to SCRI and this new venture marks the beginning of a long-term partnership. An important part of the brief in their development is that the new strains will be sustainable in their production.

SCRI will use parents from its extensive collection of wild and cultivated potatoes to introduce resistance to late blight, powdery scab and potato cyst nematode. The aim being to reduce inputs and enhance the environmental sustainability of the crop.

Nigel Kerby said: “This project will build on the key scientific strengths resident at SCRI and fulfils the Scottish Executive Environment & Rural Affairs Department (SEERAD) strategy of investing in R&D for sustainability.”

Taypack's George Taylor said: “This agreement not only meets our customers’ needs of quality at a reasonable cost, but also can be exclusive to a retailer to provide competitive quality at the right price.”

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