Rens Voesenek interviewed by EenVandaag
Helping potato plants survive flooding
On 9 July, Prof. Rens Voesenek was interviewed by Dutch television programme on the possibilities of helping potato plants survive extreme rainfall. EenVandaag investigated the impact and possible solutions for extreme rainfall on agricultural fields. Voesenek conducts fundamental research at Utrecht 木瓜福利影视 on how some plants can survive longer periods of time when submerged under water. Together with scientists from other disciplines, he is part of the Utrecht 木瓜福利影视 research theme .
Drowned crops
The extreme rainfall in recent months has had a major impact on agricultural and horticultural farms. Hundreds of hectares of farmland, including important potato and corn crops, were flooded. Since many crops rot if they are submerged for more than a day, this resulted in hundreds of millions of Euros in damages for the farmers.
Developing water resistant plants
Voesenek鈥檚 team investigates the genetic characteristics of water-resistant plants. This makes it possible to breed plants that are more resistant to water. In the future, this could lead to the development of crops that are better equipped for surviving flooding. Voesenek: 鈥淭he Netherlands is the largest exporter of seed potatoes. So if we are able to extend the survival time of a potato in extremely wet conditions to 48 hours, that may have major implications.鈥