A quiet revolution in agriculture is taking root — and it starts with a seed.
For generations, potatoes have been propagated using tubers: heavy, disease-prone, and expensive to transport. But now, Solynta — a Dutch pioneer in agricultural innovation — is reshaping the future of potato farming through hybrid true potato seeds (TPS).
This breakthrough is built on nearly two decades of intensive research and development.
Today, Solynta is entering a bold new chapter: moving from innovation to implementation, from research to real-world impact.
Solynta was chosen as the top innovation in our sister company Seed World in the Seed World Global Innovation Showdown.
From Discovery to Delivery
Solynta has developed a proprietary hybrid breeding platform that brings precision, speed, and resilience to potato cultivation. Its hybrid TPS varieties offer consistent performance, higher yields, and robust resistance to key threats like late blight, drought, and heat.
This level of genetic control has long been common in crops like corn and tomatoes — but achieving it in potatoes is a significant scientific milestone.
Now, with a strong foundation of elite parental lines and a growing pipeline of hybrids, Solynta is shifting gears to commercialize its innovations at scale.
“After 18 years of focused R&D, we’re entering the commercial phase,” said Charles Miller, Solynta’s director of strategic alliances and development. “We’re ready to deliver real value to farmers, seed producers, and food systems around the world.”
Solynta CEO Peter Poortinga emphasized the importance of understanding farmers’ needs when introducing groundbreaking technology.
“When introducing a completely new technology, it is essential to know where your products are able to make a huge difference in the daily lives of potato growers,” said Poortinga.
“We believe that true potato seeds will have great impact on the lives of many potato growers in regions where it is difficult or impossible to have access to quality starting material, in terms of food security and farmer economics.
“Our strategy is based on delivering high quality true potato seeds that contain our innovative genetics. We are introducing these true potato seed varieties to farmers around the globe; to improve their success by reducing the need for chemicals, stabilizing and increasing their yield, and improving their overall profitability.”
A Seed Built for Modern Agriculture
Hybrid true potato seeds offer benefits that traditional seed tubers simply can’t match. They are clean and disease-free at the point of delivery, dramatically lowering the risk of spreading pathogens.
They’re also compact and lightweight — reducing transportation costs by up to 99% and opening access to remote or underserved markets.
For farmers, this translates into lower input costs, healthier fields, and more predictable harvests. And because hybrid breeding allows for faster development of new traits, growers can benefit from improved varieties in a fraction of the time it takes using conventional methods.
“We have identified several essential resistance genes, and incorporated those in our breeding activities,” said Edwin van der Vossen, Solynta head of research & development.
“Many of our newest NON-GMO varieties now have a very high tolerance to late blight. Currently, we are continuing to focus on new traits that will provide additional beneficial characteristics to the future potato varieties.
“That is the big advantage of our non-GMO hybrid potato breeding technology: we can quickly breed new varieties, very focused and data-driven.
“Our focus will be on developing new varieties, that are tailored to specific regional climatical zones and fit the market demands”.
TPS also offers flexibility in how it’s used: direct sowing, transplanting seedlings, or replanting harvested tubers, depending on local needs.
This adaptability makes Solynta’s technology suitable for a wide range of environments — from large-scale commercial operations to smallholder farms.
Commercial Rollout: Local Partnerships, Global Reach
Solynta is now scaling up commercial trials and partnerships across multiple continents, including Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas. These efforts are validating the performance of hybrid varieties in diverse climates and soils, while also building strong ties with forward-thinking farmers and supply chain partners.
“Our focus now is on real-world deployment,” said Miller. “We’re working hand-in-hand with local stakeholders to ensure that our technology is accessible, practical, and tailored to each region’s unique challenges.”
In Kenya and India, Solynta works with local partners, among which Bayer.
“Bayer recognizes the challenges smallholder farmers face with traditional seed tubers, including high costs, logistical difficulties, and vulnerability to disease,” said VK Kishore, vice president and head of global product innovation and new crops – Vegetables R&D at Bayer Crop Science.
“In collaboration with Solynta, we are implementing a multi-step approach in Kenya and India to support the adoption of true potato seeds (TPS). This strategy focuses on improving access, providing targeted agronomic education, and offering localized support. Key activities include the establishment of demonstration plots and knowledge transfer activities to highlight the performance and benefits of TPS. We are confident that this innovative solution will enable smallholders to increase productivity, enhance profitability, and adopt more sustainable farming practices.”
The company’s flexible business model supports both local seed production and international collaborations — ensuring that hybrid TPS can be delivered efficiently and affordably where it’s needed most.
“Solynta’s financial strategy has evolved from securing long-term, mission-aligned investment for R&D to building a scalable and sustainable commercial model,” said Hein Kruyt, co-founder and CFO at Solynta.
“During the first pioneering days of Solynta, we have been primarily focused on the development of the breeding platform, the first good potato varieties and the discovery of genes that give us competitive edge over the clonal system.
“Early funding focused on developing our innovative true potato seed (TPS) technology, while current efforts are geared toward efficient production, market expansion, and partnerships.
Today, we see the market demand and interest increasing for true potato seeds. This requires scaling up our production as well as our workforce. As a result, our financial approach continues to balance innovation with operational discipline as we grow globally.”
Laying the Groundwork for a More Resilient Food System
As climate pressures increase and demand for food continues to rise, Solynta’s approach offers a scalable, sustainable solution for one of the world’s most vital crops. In areas where conventional seed potatoes are unavailable, degraded, or unaffordable, true seeds provide a clean and reliable alternative.
“We aim to bring value to those markets where the traditional system is not performing adequately,” Mark Hoogendoorn, sales lead at Solynta.
“We believe there are many opportunities to improve access to starting material, which in turn improves grower returns. We have chosen to follow an indirect sales approach, which means that in various geographies we work via local distributors to supply seed to growers.
“These distributors have deep knowledge of the agronomic practises in their region and give us feedback on the growers’ requirements. Our area sales managers, distributors and product specialists visit the grower’s fields often, and support them throughout the entire season.
“Once growers experience how straightforward it is to achieve a strong yield from true potato seeds, they quickly recognize the potential of this innovative approach. Our area sales managers are actively seeking new partnerships to introduce true potato seeds in additional regions. This solution is particularly well received in areas where tuber availability is limited or quality is poor, offering growers a reliable and efficient alternative.”
“We’re not just improving a crop—we’re creating the foundation for a new way of growing potatoes,” Miller said. “A way that’s more productive, more resilient, and more inclusive.”
With its shift into commercial operations, Solynta is poised to accelerate the adoption of hybrid potatoes globally. The innovation phase laid the groundwork. Now, the focus is impact.
“The future of potatoes starts now,” Miller concluded. “And with hybrid true seeds, we’re building a better, stronger food system from the ground up.”
