In 2018, the German breeding company KWS and The J.R. Simplot Company entered into a joint venture to to shape the future of potato seed development. The result is Aardevo B.V.

Aardevo combines KWS’ expertise in vegetable seeds and hybrid plant breeding with the knowledge of agronomy, trait development, and advanced potato processing capabilities of Simplot.

Naturally bred, naturally grown potatoes.

“Farmers have been growing the same commercial potato varieties for dozens of years, yet there are thousands of wild varieties with natural disease resistance, antioxidants, greater yields and other benefits and Aardevo will focus on those. We are delighted to be working with KWS, one of the world’s leading breeding companies, to bring these benefits to farmers, processors and consumers.”

- Scott Simplot, Chairman of Simplot.

Due to the genetic make-up of potatoes, the breeding of a new variety currently takes up to 20 years. To speed up this process, one of the goals set by Aardevo is the creation of diploid hybrid potatoes which are more amenable to conventional breeding than their tetraploid counterparts. The company’s long-term ambition is to provide farmers with true potato seed from which to grow potato plants. These true potato seeds deliver a more reliable starting material, a decreased risk of disease, and a smaller environmental footprint during storage.

Using KWS’s proven diploid breeding and seed development technique, Aardevo will introduce traits that improve taste, texture, produce greater yield, boost disease resistance, and even enhance processing quality in potatoes. New varieties will be introduced quicker than ever before.

Look to this space for news on the top performing potato varieties and industry breakthroughs.