Disease-resistant potato varieties are popular in many countries today. One cannot help but remember the stories of the great potato famine that hit Ireland two centuries ago. Varieties like Russet potatoes have been the subject of much scientific research to improve Russet potato nutrition and disease resistance.
Thankfully, individuals can grow disease-resistant potato varieties in their backyard and start eating healthy meals within a short time. Here is why you should grow some:
Healthier varieties:
Disease-resistant potato varieties are mostly healthy because they have been bred carefully to select genes that make them strong and healthy. These varieties are usually hybrids, but even regular breeds can be carefully selected to leave only healthy species.
They are tastier and nutritious:
Russet potatoes nutrition, for example, increases as the disease-resistance increases. Why? Most potato diseases that do not kill off crops are known to reduce their taste and nutritional value. It is, therefore, logical that those crops that are resistant to disease attacks will retain their natural taste and nutritional content.
Available food in your backyard:
Having crops in your backyard increases your food store; disease-resistant potatoes are better for it. You can easily plant your garden full of this and only care about regular weeding and watering. You will be at rest, knowing any fungal or viral crop disease would not affect them.
Increase the genetic pool:
The more the number of disease-resistant variety of potato crops grown, the more the genetic pool increases. By growing some, you are indirectly contributing to the removal of disease-susceptible varieties by increasing the spread of the resistant varieties. See it as playing your part in meeting the UN goal of providing food for everyone. It could get to a point where very few potato farms worldwide will suffer losses due to fungal attack.
A possible business idea:
Asides from enjoying some Russet potatoes nutrition, you may decide to grow potatoes for commercial purposes. The potato food industry can never be saturated, so there is no fear of running huge losses, especially as it does not require heavy equipment. Growing disease-resistant potatoes can increase the financial value of your potato farm as they are much sought-after.
Those are the best reasons why you should grow disease-resistant potatoes. Luckily, you can get seedlings and cuttings from your local government agriculture agency or even the local university agricultural stores. Alternatively, you can order from some organic stores online and have healthy plants delivered to you.