Blight resistant Potatoes - the full story.

Blight has been a big problem for Potato growers since it appeared on the scene back in the 1800’s. For maincrop production chemicals have been the only real solution until recently when decades of plant breeding in Hungary came to fruition.

The Sárvári family from the Lake Balaton region in Hungary have been breeding potatoes for high resistance to late blight for over 40 years. Breeding started when Dr Sárvári Snr was director of Keszthely Research Institute (now University of Pannonia Georgikon Faculty of Agriculture, Potato Research Centre). His Soviet bosses wanted a hardy strain of potatoes for growing across the USSR which would survive the ravages of climate and disease.

Using South American and Mexican wild potato material from the Vavilov collection, genes conferring resistance to common viruses (including PVX, PVY, PLRV) were soon bred into his stocks. Resistance to late-blight disease took a little longer but eventually, exceptionally high resistance was achieved. The breeding was continued privately by Dr Sárvári and his wife.

Thanks to the work of the Sarvari Trust up in Wales these tough Hungarian bred Potatoes are available in the UK. The benefits go well beyond blight resistance.

Tough enough to thrive even in poor soils
Strong growth smothers weeds
Resists many troublesome viruses
Home saved seed potatoes will do well
Long growing season
Do not sprout in store as quickly as most other varieties
Rarely troubled by slugs
Versatile in cooking, especially good for baking and chips

Sarpo seed potatoes are not readily available because Thompson and Morgan have rights to their retail sale (fair enough as they have supported the Sarvari Trust in a big way) You can buy them mail-order from T&M. Being new they are also in short supply, however we have some for the VegEvent.

At the VegEvent we will have three varieties on sale: