Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME
International Day of Potato!
This year’s theme 'Shaping history, feeding the future' recognizes the potato's journey - from its domestication in the Andes, to its global dissemination following the Columbian Exchange, to the Irish Potato Famine, and finally to its current status as a staple food for millions. It also acknowledges the opportunities and challenges that exist across the potato's value chain for our nutrition today and in the future.
The potato is one of our focus plants at Fraunhofer IME for many years. Together with our R&D partners, we are conducting various projects along the value chain. These projects range from developing modern breeding tools and boosting photosynthesis to increase yield to detecting pathogens and increasing resistance to pests, as well as pest control and the effective use of sidestreams.