Solynta

Solynta was founded by Hein Kruyt,[1] Pim Lindhout, Theo Schotte and Johan Trouw[2] in 2006.[3] Solynta has been focusing on developing potato hybrids through breeding.

Hybrid breeding allows a breeder to combine in an easy way favorable traits from one parental line A with other desired traits from parental line B in its F1 offspring. This requires potato plants which are self-compatible and diploid, that can be used to generate the parental lines. To this end, Solynta crossed in 2008 a diploid potato with Solanum chacoense to start hybrid breeding.[4]

The first step is to develop parental lines that are homozygous. Although potato is very heterozygous,[4] it is possible to generate homozygous potato lines.[5][6][7]

Self-compatible diploid potato was found by Hosaka and Hanneman in the Solanum chacoense used by Solynta.[8] The first results of the breeding efforts were published in 2011 by Lindhout et al.,[9] a few years later this potential of hybrid breeding in potato was acknowledged by the US scientific community.[10] Further tails of the breeding process, including the original donors have been described in Lindhout et al., 2018.[11] The mechanisms of self-compatibility in potato have recently been unraveled simultaneously by Eggers et al.[12] and Ma et al., identifying the Sli-gene.[13]

Meijer et al. (2018)[14] and Prinzenberg et al. (2018)[15] showed that using the potato breeding material of Solynta, fast and targeted progress on breeding for specific traits could be achieved. In 2017, Solynta showed in a program called HiSPoB[16] that is was able to introduce a double stack phytophthora resistance in their hybrid material, which was publicly demonstrated (Su et al. 2020).[17] With this demonstration the principle of marker-assisted breeding, known and applied in other major crops, was demonstrated for the first time for potato. Solynta's potato breeding techniques include F1 hybrid potato breeding.[18][5]

Solynta has participated in a number of scientific collaborations and networks, in order to gain experience with the technology and to allow public researchers to work with genetic material made available by Solynta.

• SolAce: methods for improving agroecosystem and crop efficiency for water and nutrient use[19]
• Protecta: pathogen-informed resistance to oomycete diseases in ecosystems, agriculture and aquaculture[20]
• Sky High: vertical farming program[21]
• Responsible Innovation in Dutch Potato Breeding (NWO Responsible Innovation)[22]
• Holland Innovative Potato (HIP)[23]

For public research purposes, the diploid self-compatible line "Solyntus" was released to the scientific community in collaboration with Wageningen UR – Plant Breeding.[24] Genetic material from Solynta was used by groups in the UK[25] and Sweden[26] to perform research on fundamental aspects of potato biology. The collaborations have led to an acknowledgment by the public scientific community for the openness and transparency of Solynta.[27]

The Sli gene was recently cloned by Wageningen University and Solynta in 2021, which will allow for faster and more focused breeding.[28][29] It primarily focuses on Hybrid True Potato Seeds (HTPS) that are not genetically modified.[30][1] Using potato seeds, 25 grams of seeds can be utilized in place of 2500 kg of tubers as used in traditional potato planting.[31] This method of potato breeding received a U.S. patent in 2020.[32]

Solynta has worked on developing on a late blight-resistant potato variety[33] using cross-breeding.[34] Scientists at the company have also worked on published genome sequences of potatoes.[35]

Two patents have been granted on hybrid breeding technology, one in the US in 2020.[36] Solynta signed a collaboration with the largest potato starch processor, AVEBE in 2021. Their joint goal is to develop hybrid potato varieties with added value for processing starch and other ingredients, while maintaining a sustainable crop production.[37]

First variety registrations were obtained in Zimbabwe (2021) and Kenya (2023). A collaboration agreement with seed-treatment specialist Incotec was signed in 2022.

The case of hybrid potato breeding has led to a number of studies, initiated by Rathenau Institute (Beumer & Edelenbosch, 2019; Edelenbosch & Munnichs, 2020).[38][39]

Solynta's model of using and regulating ownership of newly developed technologies is discussed in Beumer et al.'s framework of Commons.[40] The framework states there is a diversity of genetic material available and accessible and supports a scientific basis for further development of the potato value chain.[41]

Potato hybrid breeding trials have been carried out in the DR Congo (in Ituri Province),[42] Rwanda,[43] and Mozambique (in Angónia District, Tete Province).[44] An early hybrid potato growing trial using diploid hybrids in East Africa showed promising yield and disease resistance.[45]

• Official website