Delphibe Van Inghelandt descends a few steps, turns into a long, brightly lit basement corridor, and opens the first door on the left. The sign on the door, 'Cellar 20', offers no indication of what lies behind it. Several flat plastic trays are stacked on shelves. Inside them, on plastic grids and neatly arranged behind a number, are five leaves. Each row consists of one accession. This is a kind of infirmary. A few days ago, a drop of a solution containing the spores of a fungal pathogen was placed on each leaf of the potato plants individually. “After seven days, we check which plants have symptoms and how severe the infestation is,” says Delphine Van Inghelandt, head of the newly created ‘Quantitative Genetics and Breeding Methodology of Potatoes’ research group at the IPK and the Julius Kühn Institute (JKI) for over a year.

The factors that potatoes have to cope with in this country, such as drought, heat stress and new diseases, are the same as those affecting wheat, barley and oats. However, the potato genome, with its four sets of chromosomes, is very complex. “This is one of the reasons why less research has been done on potatoes than on cereals,” explains the French agricultural biologist. “There is still a lot to do and discover.”

The IPK Genebank, with 6,300 accessions housed at its Groß Lüsewitz facility, offers optimal conditions for her research activities. “This is a real stroke of luck and a gift,” says the scientist. Over the next two to three years, the main focus will be on systematically gaining an overview of the collections and characterising them, either using genotypic or phenotypic data. “The aim is to create two core collections, each with 300 accessions, to represent the full diversity spectrum as accurately as possible,” Delphine Van Inghelandt explains.

But her research is already in full swing. Back in the basement corridor, she rummages through one of the many plastic crates stacked with bags. “Look, they look like little marbles.” However, what the agricultural biologist has in her palm are tubers. Drawing from the seeds of 70 wild species preserved in the gene bank, she successfully cultivated 5,000 plants this year. Ultimately, her team harvested tubers from 4,000 of these specimens. “The last ones just arrived in the cellar today,” she says on this Monday in early November. These will be used for renewed cultivation trials next year. 

This summer, data was collected on the height, flowering date, and flower colour of 5,000 plants. Leaf samples were first dried and then examined using specialised infrared technology. “We are trying to identify differences between the accessions, as well as within them, and we want to see whether this technique can also be used to predict characteristics.”

“Take a look here,” says the scientist, pulling aside a black plastic sheet to reveal one of the shelves in “Cellar 20”. On the floor lie sliced potatoes that are already diseased. “A colleague’s team scrapes the spores of the fungus off the surface and uses them in our solution, which we then drip onto the leaves in the plastic tub.” To allow the fungus to develop optimally, the temperature is kept at 19 degrees and the humidity at 49 per cent. The issue of resistance is close to the scientist's heart. “Potato crops face more diseases, but farmers have limited resources. We urgently need non-chemical solutions.” 

In her search for solutions, Delphine Van Inghelandt draws on both new technology and her many years of experience, particularly in Groß Lüsewitz. Unlike cereals, simple backcrosses are not possible with tetraploid potatoes. This is why the scientist is hoping to make progress through precise genome changes using methods such as CRISPR-Cas gene editing. “I am convinced that potatoes will benefit from this even more than other crops.” At the same time, she also intends to draw on her many years of experience at the site. The Groß Lüsewitz site is home to the IPK and the JKI, as well as the breeding company Norika. “The demand for potatoes is growing enormously worldwide, especially in Africa and China. That's why we should be present in those markets with our expertise.”

She is therefore all the more delighted by the increased interest in her research. In recent months, TV stations, newspaper reporters and radio journalists have all visited Groß Lüsewitz. In November, Delphine Van Inghelandt and Nils Stein, head of the ‘Genebank department’ at the IPK, also gave two presentations at the annual Community for the Promotion of Plant Innovation (GFPI) conference. “There is a lot of attention right now, and I think it’s very important that we report on our research.”

Delphine Van Inghelandt sees her equal ties to both institutes as a positive thing. “I can benefit from both: at the IPK, it’s the Genebank in particular; at the JKI, it’s the field infrastructure. I also have good contacts in two circles of colleagues, which is a major advantage.” The only issue is that she also has twice as many meetings, which can be challenging at times. “I have to decide whether and where I will participate.”

In any case, she does not regret moving from Heinrich Heine University in Düsseldorf to the coast. “Of course, it was much easier to travel to France from Düsseldorf, but we are also pleased in Rostock. In my opinion, the city deserves much more attention.” Her decision was facilitated by the proximity of her husband, Benjamin Stich, who is employed as a scientist at the JKI in Groß Lüsewitz. 

The only question that remains is which recipe is her personal favourite. “At home, we prefer South German-style potato salad with vinegar, oil and a little vegetable stock,” says the research group leader. “Mayonnaise isn’t really my thing.” Well then, bon appétit!