Interest in potatoes

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32874, 24 March 1972, Page 12

Interest in potatoes

The contribution of Mr R. G. Robinson, of Christchurch, to the potato industry was recently recognised by growers, merchants, and the Potato Board when seven storage cabinets were presented to the Crop Research Division of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research for research into storage of potatoes for processing

and also for seed.

It was said then that Mr Robinson’s name was one known to growers throughout New Zealand. He is particularly well known as the breeder of Ham Hardy, which now constitutes about 45 per cent of potatoes grown under certification. It was first entered in certification in 1951-52. Mr Robinson was also the breeder of

Glen Ham, which is grown on a more limited scale. Born in Christchurch just before the turn of the century. Mr Robinson is the son of Isaac Robinson, who with a brother had a chaff-cutting business in Tuam Street in the early 1890 s, to which farmers had to cart their sheaves for cutting. About 1900, Isaac Robinson had a retail grain and produce business in Cashel Street. In 1914, Mr R. G. Robinson joined his father’s business as an office junior. Potatoes were then becoming an increasing part of the business.

In 1920, Mr Robinson became a traveller for the firm, first using a bicycle in conjunction with train services, and later graduating to a motor-cycle. His interest in seed potatoes goes back to those days. In 1927-28, when Mr J. W. Hadfield was investigating a certification scheme for potatoes, Mr Robinson took him round showing him crops and helping to sort out varieties, In the next season, when varieties were first passed for certification, the Robinson firm was among those to have lines certified. Mr Robinson recalls that Mr W. Oakley, now of Hororata but then of West Melton, was also on the lists. Varieties then certified which are still in certification are Aucklander Short Top, Epicure, King Edward, and Dakota.

Early in the 19305, Mr Robinson was interested in disease problems in potatoes and with Messrs T. A. Penn and N. Cox, members of the firm’s staff, he was active in rogueing lines of diseased plants; but it became a problem to keep large areas free of diseased plants, and so work with single plant selections followed.

Mr Robinson recalls that in the early days little was known about diseases of potatoes; but his father knew that seed potatoes from areas such as West Melton and Darfield did best, and consequently seed requirements were mainly acquired from these areas. The wisdom of this has been borne out In more recent times. About 1936, Mr Robinson became interested in potato breeding. He had read about work the Russians were doing using wild varieties from South America to breed for resistance to blight and frost.

With some wild varieties from the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute in Germany and also breeding material from the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the School of Agriculture at Cambridge, England, he also began breeding varieties resistant to drought, frost, and blight; but these never got to the stage of suitability for commercial use. Mr Robinson gained background knowledge of genetics from Mr R. A. Calder and also from the former Professor J. W. Calder, of Lincoln College. This, he said, gave him some idea of what was happening. ' - In 1939, the Robinson firm began importing Varieties. To date, it has brought in some 110 seedlings and varieties. Sebago and Katahdin are two which have found a place in NewZealand, and a more recent importation has been a promising variety from Scotland.

Mr Robinson used Catriona and Katahdin to breed Glen Ham, which came into certification in 1945-46. He says that it has not proved very adaptable, but near Marton in the Rangi-

tikei it is the favoured variety, producing at times 22 to 24 tons to the acre, and it is also one of the best varieties in the Bay of Plenty. It has drought resistance and also resistance to one strain of blight, in addition to being a heavy cropper on a suitable soil

type. Ham Hardy stems from a cross between Arran Pilot and Katahdin, and came into certification in 1951-52. Arran Pilot had earlier been imported by Mr W. J. Jenkins, of Waddington. Ham Hardy reached its peak to date in 1969-70, when 3245 acres were grown. One of its special virtues is its field immunity to virus X, and under normal conditions it is also completely free of virus Y. However, Mr Robinson claims no special praise for this—he says that it was purely a r matter of luck.

It is, however, a versatile potato. First found suitable in the Nelson district, Ham Hardy’s popularity has since spread to other districts, and its wide adaptability is also shown by the fact that it is being grown as a first or second or main crop. It also has general good quality, and has been exported to Australia for processing. But Mr Robinson says that there is no perfect variety. Attempts have been made to breed it, but he says that it can never be done—some imperfections have to be accepted. Ham Hardy has some. It is subject to blight in the tops, but its tubers are resistant. It is also subject to leaf roll and verticillium wilt, but Mr Robinson says that these are under control.

Mr Robinson believes that Mr C. M. Driver and his assistant, Dr A. S. Bedi, at the Crop Research Division will breed improved varieties for New Zealand conditions, and he notes that in the 1970-71 season, some 66J per cent of the area under certification was to New Zealand varieties.

He regards conditions of storage of potatoes as being one of the main problems facing the industry, hence the importance of the investigations which will be made at Lincoln with the new cabinets.

In 1934, Mr Robinson received a letter from the superintendent of the Sydney markets describing the use of cool storage for seed and table potatoes. Mr Robinson’s firm was probably the pioneer in New Zealand in using the Papanui cool stores in 1939 for storage of seed potatoes. Much of the research and breeding work which Mr Robinson ha® done has