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SPUDSMART.COM50WORLDNEWSWorldReviewNEWSINSIGHTSFROMAROUNDTHEGLOBE.UnitedStatesDECLININGpotatoconsumptionbyAmericanshasTexasAMAgriLifeResearchbreedersworkingondesignerspudsthatmeetthetimeconstraintsanduniquetastesofayoungergeneration.SowhatwearedoingnowisdevelopinguniquevarietiesthathaveatendencytoappealtotheyoungersetwithhighincomewhoarewillingtotrysomethingdifferentsaysCreightonMilleranAgriLifeResearchpotatobreeder.Thishascontributedtoanincreaseinconsumptionofthesetypesovertherussetswhicharestillthestandard.MillersaysthepotatobreedingprogramistryingtodevelopimprovedvarietiesadaptedspecicallytoenvironmentalconditionsinTexas.HoweversomeofourvarietiesarewidelyadaptedacrosstheU.S.headds.ThreeofthemcollectivelyrepresentthefthlargestnumberofacrescertiedforseedproductionintheU.S.sowevereleasedsomesuccessfulvarietiesandwearedevelopingmoreallthetime.Othervarietiescatchingmoreattentionareredpotatoeswithyellowandwhiteeshandpurple-skinnedpotatoeswithyellowesh.Thetuberswithyelloweshcontaincompoundsthatareantioxidantsandthatappealstothehealth-consciousconsumerMillersays.Soinadditiontohavingtheuniqueappearancetheyarehealthierpotatoes.Alsothisyeartheprogramoffersspecialtypotatoeswithsplashesofredandyellowontheskinthathaveayellowesh.ThesearereferredtoasgourmetpotatoesandthatnicheisreceivingmoreemphasislatelyMillersays.Thesearegenerallyboiledandadduniquecolourtotheplatewhenserved.Millerpointsoutthattherussetpotatoisstilltheprimaryemphasisoftheprogramaddinganewrussetwillsoonbereleasedforcommercialproduction.Itpromisestobeverysuccessfulhesays.SourceTexasAMAgrilifeSpainASPOTATOESarehighlysusceptibletoclimatechangeresearchersatNeiker-TecnaliaanagriculturalresearchanddevelopmentinstituteinSpainarelookingforpotatogenesthatbestadapttoanticipatedclimatechangescharacterizedbyreducedrainfallandincreasedextremesinhotandcoldtemperatures.AspartofthePAPACLIMAprojectdevelopedbyaninternationalconsortiumthepurposeofthisresearchistoidentifythemostresistantgenestocreatenewpotatovarietiesthatwilladapttofutureclimateconditions.Theresearchalsoseekstondouthowthecurrentpotatovarietieswillbehaveinanenvironmentwithincreaseddroughtandmoretemperatureextremes.TheconsortiumiscomprisedofNeiker-TecnaliaandresearchanddevelopmentcentresanduniversitiesinArgentinaUruguayBoliviaPeruEcuadorandCostaRica.CommercialvarietiesnativepotatoesfromSouthAmericaoldvarietiesfromtheCanaryIslandsandwildspeciesareallbeingstudiedaspartoftheproject.Neiker-Tecnaliahasevaluatedhowthesevarietiesbehavewithrespecttodroughtandhighandlowtemperaturesthrougheldtrialsandundercontrolledconditionsingreenhouses.Inallthesetrialsidenticalpotatoesweresowninordertocomparetheirproductionunderdifferentenvironmentalconditions.Researchersanalyzedoutputchlorophyllandwatercontent.Neiker-Tecnaliatechniciansgatheredgeneticinformationonthevarietiesaseachwassubjectedtoadverseconditionsofdroughtcoldandheat.Thisenabledresearcherstoobservewhichgenesareexpressedwhentheplantisunderaspecicstress.Identifyingthesegenesisbelievedtobeanessentialrststeptowardsdevelopingnewvarietiesthatwilladapttofutureclimateconditions.Italsoconstitutesessentialinformationtondouthowthecurrentvarietieswillbehavewhenfacedwiththeeffectsofclimatechange.SourceNeiker-TecnaliaCzechRepublicTHECZECHRepublicaimstoreturntoself-sufciencyintraditionalfruitandvegetableproduction.ThecountrysministerofagriculturerecentlyannouncedthattheCzechRepublicwillsupportnationalfruitvegetableandpotatoproducerswithanassistancepackageworthaquarterofabillionCzechcrownstheequivalentof1.3millioninCanadiancurrency.Beginningin2015Czechfruitandvegetableproducerswillreceive100millioncrownsinnancialassistancewhilepotatoproducerswillreceive50millioncrowns.Producerswillalsobenetfromaruraldevelopmentprogramthatsupportsgreenhouseandwarehouseconstructionandtechnologypurchases.