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02 January 2025
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Story Gerda-Marie van Rooyen
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Photo Supplied
Leading the research in South Africa is Prof Linus Franke from the Department of Soil, Crop and Climate Sciences.
Scientists are actively pursuing the successful breeding of diploid hybrid potatoes from inbred lines. This is expected to revolutionise potato breeding as it holds the key to rapid genetic progress. It will introduce new varieties for commercialisation through seed. Currently, existing potato variants have a gene that renders self-pollinated seeds infertile.
Prof Linus Franke, an academic in the Department of Soil, Crop and Climate Sciences at the UFS, is leading the research in South Africa. “This technology allows the production of genetically uniform potato seed that is easy to transport and largely disease-free.” He says this differs from conventional breeding whereby only vegetative propagation is possible due to tetraploid varieties in potatoes. It also risks carrying pests and diseases from one generation to the next – leading to the accumulation of pests and diseases with each round of multiplication.
Seed innovation
Prof Franke explains that Solynta BV, a seed company based in the Netherlands that produces potato varieties that can be grown from seed, has included South Africa in their research efforts because it is one of Africa’s largest producers and exporters. Through his academic relationship with Wageningen University and Research, a Dutch institution renowned for its agricultural endeavours and food production, the UFS became involved in researching hybrid potatoes grown from seed.
Diploid seeds containing two sets of chromosomes allow easier gene manipulation to increase predictability and speedier genetic progress. The breeding approach enables the incorporation of tolerance to pests, diseases, abiotic stresses (cold, heat, drought) and other desired genetic traits.
Although Prof Franke is optimistic about this research, he is not blind to disadvantages. “Potato seeds are tiny and have little energy reserves, making it harder to grow potatoes from seed than from tubers.” He says potatoes from seed will take longer to cultivate than tubers, as farmers need to grow plantlets from seeds first, adding six weeks to the growing period. “It is possible that commercial farmers can grow potatoes directly from seed. Alternatively, perhaps more likely, specialised growers will produce tubers of potatoes from seed; these tubers are then sold as seed tubers to other potato farmers, who then continue their normal practices of producing potatoes for the market from tubers.”
Financial benefits
Prof Franke says farmers have reason to get excited. “Seed potatoes will reduce input costs, as varieties with enhanced tolerance to pests and diseases require less pesticides. Planting one hectare of potatoes requires three to four tonnes of potato tubers, but only one 25 g packet of potato seeds.” Since potatoes are a more valuable commodity than maize, this technology might also increase farmers’ income potential.
Neonatal Care Unit receives donation to expand capacity
2015-10-28
 With the best care and technology available,
the survival rate of premature
babies is about 85%. The neonatal intensive
care unit at the Universitas hospital can now
expand its capacity thanks to a donation of
R1 million by the Discovery fund.
From the left is Prof André Venter.
Head: Department of Paediatrics and
Child Health at the UFS, and mrs Ruth Lewin,
Head: Corporate Sustainability at Discovery.
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The smallest people need the greatest care. This care is being provided by the neonatal unit in the Children’s Wing of the Universitas Hospital. This project of the University of the Free State (UFS), under the leadership of Prof Andre Venter, has led to several miracles regarding child health since its inception.
Now, thanks to a donation of R1 million rand from the Discovery fund, this unit can expand its capacity and treat more premature babies.
About 14% of babies in South Africa are born before the 37th week of pregnancy. These babies are born with a very low birth weight, and are in need of critical care. The neonatal intensive-care unit at Universitas Hospital is currently equipped to take care of about 14 premature babies at a time, from birth to discharge. However, because of the high incidence of premature births in the hospital’s service area, the unit needs about 45 beds.
The aim of the Children’s Wing Project is to expand the neonatal intensive-care unit in order to meet the demands of the hospital’s service area, which reaches as far as the Southern Cape. The Discovery Fund recently donated R1 million to the project, which will be used to expand the capacity of the neonatal intensive-care unit.
“With the best care and technology available, the survival rate of premature babies is about 85%. Without this, half of all premature babies would die,” says Prof Venter, Head: Department of Paediatrics and Child Health at the UFS.
“This is the reason why private and public partnerships, such as the one with Discovery, are essential to make specialised services available to the most vulnerable people. Discovery has made a significant contribution to the project without which we would not have been able to expand the capacity of the unit