Du
22 May
au
31 December 2015

Réseau de plates-formes variétales multifonction en pomme de terre en Région wallonne

Network of multi-purpose potato variety platform in the walloon Region

Context

In Belgium variety diversification in potato sector is generally few developped compared with border countries such as France, the Netherlands and Germany, wich constitute a weakness.

In potato seeds production sector, produced varieties in Belgium are free varieties mainly marketed for mediterranean basin export. But on the free varieties market the competition is very severe and seeds potato production cost is brudenned by high control and certification costs. In order to free from these very competitive markets and to show more added value potato seeds sector has an urgent need to have the use of larger variety range exploitable under protection (contrary to free varieties). 

In the potato consumption sector Bintje dominates belgian and walloon productions. Belgian processing industry remain centred on Bintje variety for economic, technical and historical reasons. On the contrary Dutch and French industries have the use of a lot larger varieties range generating added value and specific products. 

On fresh market variety diversification became since more than 10 years the basis of differentiation in european supermarkets. Very active variety selection in France and The Netherlands provides a widenned variety range with specific characteristics (shape, appearance, taste, cooking behaviour) allowing to maintain consumption levels, to highlight fresh potato in supermakets, to show added value and to increase potato production area. Belgium lags behind in this field although some specific area are able to produce washable potatoes. Furthermore business companies hopte to develop varieties for new markets (new member states, Portugal).

Objectives

Main objectives of the project are the following :

·         as far as variety evaluation is concerned structure the different initiatives of applied research, development and popularization by consultation and synergy of action between already active walloon partners,

·         carry out economy in the realization of variety trials thanks to the installation of multi-purpose sites or by the complete development of local initiatives,

·         starting a lasting action of variety trials, apllied variety research (fitted phytotechny (fertilization, irrigation, ...) preserving) and development/popularization on potato varieties in Walloonia. 

These objectives must answer to the identified needs of the sector as far as variety diversification is concerned.

Results obtained

Undertaken original actions must lead to:

- the mobilization of avalaible means and skills in the walloon region;

- the revision of the qualitative and quantitative evaluation criterion of varieties as part of trials for the national catalogue applicable to all of the trial network;

- the installation of common to different objectives parcels: registration to the national catalogue, private trials or demonstration, trials or demonstration for the professionnals, specific phytotechny trials, producton of potatoes for preserving trials, ...the main approach leading to sizeable economy because of the concentration and rationalization of human and logistic means (for the trials and the production and valorization of the results);

- the systematic consultation at the time of protocol development: choice of the control, installation of the parcels, phytotechnical protocols, quality analysis protocols, results interpretation, information distribution.

Contribution

In Libramont,

- establishment and follow-up of a late blight trial, udeful observation of late blight trials in Libramont and Gembloux during the season, quality analysis for the whole Libramont and Gembloux trials and for the “catalogue” trials, data collection and analysis, results interpretation and synthesis.

In Gembloux :

- establishment and follow-up of a variety comparison trial, of specific phytotechny variety trials (nitrogen, irrigation,...), of a demonstration variety trial and a preserving trial; data collection and analysis, results interpretation and synthesis. - realization of the official trials for national catalogue of plant species (out of the project budget).

Partners

Asbl FIWAP :

- Coordination of different task of the project namely:

  • report editing, partners coordination, administrative and financial management,
  • trials installation, from potato seeds order to crop desiccation,
  • samples management and transfer,
  • informations centralization, data collection and analysis, results interpretation and synthesis.

Asbl CARAH (Ath):

- Management of the whole trials potato seeds, realization of the official trials for national catalogue of plant species; in Ath establishment of one late blight trial and useful observation during the season, one multi-purpose trial and quality analysis for this trial, data collection and analysis, results interpretation and synthesis.

CRAW off coordinator

FIWAP asbl Rue du Bordia, 4

B-5030 Gembloux

Tel. : +32(0)81 61 06 56 Fax : +32(0)81 61 23 89

E-mail : info@fiwap.be

Funding

  • DGARNE