Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Dutch discover a potato that grows on seawater!

deltaH - 4-1-2015 at 21:52

This is a major discovery for humanity as we go into a future ever more stressed for food resources. Well done to the Dutchmen!

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-30670988

I liked their experimental approach, plant a wide variety of crops and see what works :)

Now if only they can find starchy crop that grows IN seawater and floats...

macckone - 4-1-2015 at 23:28

This could be beneficial in coastal deserts where fresh water is in short supply.
Ie. Baja California.

Tsjerk - 5-1-2015 at 06:17

Nice work!

A bit of nuance would be in place though, I heard this Arjen de Vos give a 5 minute talk at a conference where the speakers could win 5000 euros for their start-up project (which he won).

The potato's can grow on salty conditions, not on sea-water, which is about ten-times more salty than the ground these potato's are growing on.

But nevertheless, still very nice they found this strain, this is definitely a promising crop for salinified regions, especially because these grounds often are very nutrient-rich (because not to much grows on it), but you will always keep the need for fresh water.

[Edited on 5-1-2015 by Tsjerk]

[Edited on 5-1-2015 by Tsjerk]

Tdep - 5-1-2015 at 08:03

Are the potatoes themselves salty though?

Think about it. Just deepfry the potato and you have one giant chip! (Ok it doesn't quite work like that... God I'm hungry...)

subsecret - 5-1-2015 at 19:35

They said the potatoes were more sweet than salty. It would be great if the potatoes were pre-salted.

deltaH - 6-1-2015 at 02:49

Ah ok, so just some more headline grabbing by corporate media with the 'grows on seawater', so it's more grows on saline soils... pity, but still quite the breakthrough. We need more crops like this as the world's population grows.

Pasrules - 6-1-2015 at 05:27

I wonder how the plant would survive in a hydroponic setup where by that I mean similar to growing it on a pontoon. Growing food on the ocean could free up huge amounts of land and could be used to catch the chemical run off into the ocean from agricultural quantities of fertiliser going down river.

careysub - 7-1-2015 at 05:37

Quote: Originally posted by Pasrules  
I wonder how the plant would survive in a hydroponic setup where by that I mean similar to growing it on a pontoon. Growing food on the ocean could free up huge amounts of land and could be used to catch the chemical run off into the ocean from agricultural quantities of fertiliser going down river.


The idea of growing food on ocean-borne hydroponic farms is interesting, but it doesn't have much to do with growing in saline conditions (at a fraction of sea water's salt concentration).

Most rainfall occurs over the ocean (obviously) where the (temporarily) fresh water does humans little good, also true hydroponic farms don't use a lot of water - they maintain their nutrient solution in a reservoir and adjust it as needed. A floating hydroponic farm could harvest what make-up water it needed from rainfall.

Of course there are food crops that do grow perfectly well on seawater. They are called (here in the West) "seaweed", and are quite popular in Asia.

DubaiAmateurRocketry - 7-1-2015 at 07:12

omg potato is almost my favorite food +1

careysub - 7-1-2015 at 07:43

Quote: Originally posted by DubaiAmateurRocketry  
omg potato is almost my favorite food +1


It is many peoples favorite food.

Also one of the most productive for calories produced per hectare, far exceeding any grain.

Many historians of the economic development of Europe and the Industrial Revolution believe that the introduction of the potato accounts for a substantial part of the gains in agricultural productivity that released labor for non-agricultural use, and allowed populations to rise rapidly. One might say that the Industrial Revolution was fed by the potato.

The majority of the vitamin C consumed in the American diet is from consuming potatoes.

Tsjerk - 7-1-2015 at 14:19

Potato as important source of vitamine C? Of Ipomoea batatas (sweet potato), for 100% recommended daily intake, you would have to eat 3 (!) kg. Of the regular potato as described in the first post here, which is Solanum tuberosum, you should eat around a kilo, doesn't sound very healthy to me... especially because one orange or a kiwi is sufficient as well.

careysub - 7-1-2015 at 16:45

Quote: Originally posted by Tsjerk  
Potato as important source of vitamine C? Of Ipomoea batatas (sweet potato), for 100% recommended daily intake, you would have to eat 3 (!) kg. Of the regular potato as described in the first post here, which is Solanum tuberosum, you should eat around a kilo, doesn't sound very healthy to me... especially because one orange or a kiwi is sufficient as well.


According to the USDA composition of foods database 400 g of potato (Solanum tuberosum) has 78.8 mg of Vitamin C, and 308 kCal.

The actual average daily requirement for an adult male is 75 mg, the RDA is currently set at 90 mg, but this covers the needs 98% of the adult male population (3 sigmas) or 99% of the total adult population.

So less than half a kilo provides all the vitamin C a person needs, while using up only 12-15% of the daily calorie allocation.

In addition this potato portion provides all of the B-6, 1/3 of the potassium and niacin, and 1/4 of the fiber, and 1/5 of the protein daily recommendation for a male adult, all punching above its calorie load.

This qualifies potatoes as an unusually nutritious food. I don't think any other carbohydrate-rich crop (essentially any of the grains) does this well on overall nutrition.

The average American consumes about 200 g of potato a day.

phlogiston - 7-1-2015 at 16:54

Half a kilo is a lot of potato for one person...
Being Dutch and potatoes being a major staple of our diet I happen to know I prepare 750 grams of potatoes for an evening meal for me and my wife and 4 small kids.
200 grams seems a reasonable amount for an adult.

Tsjerk - 8-1-2015 at 04:09

@ careysub, I had a look at the numbers you give, and they seem to be correct, but don't forget that these numbers are for cooked potatoes, not for fried/baked, served with a lot of fat/sugar rich sauce.

Besides, why would you want to take your vitamin C/B-6 out of potatoes? It leaves less room for vegetables/fruits, which are also necessary for all the other vitamins/minerals necessary for a healthy diet. Also a little less than 2600-2800 calories for and adult, medium active man wouldn't hurt either... I eat less than that, cycle 10 km a day, walk around 5 and I'm not starving, nor skinny.

pneumatician - 15-1-2015 at 16:58

potatoes are poison!!! :)

from wikipedia

[...]

Toxicity

Potatoes contain toxic compounds known as glycoalkaloids, of which the most prevalent are solanine and chaconine. Solanine is also found in other plants in the family Solanaceae, which includes such plants as the deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna), henbane (Hyoscyamus niger), tobacco (Nicotiana), as well as eggplant and tomato.

[...]

I eat potatoes till I read an article about poison in this shi?. eureka!!! I now understand the heavy and hard digestion after I "enjoy" a dish of this shit!!! I need water tonic for aid my stomach!!! so I anymore eat potatoes!!!
the water of boiled P. is even more dangerous!!!

the planet earth have a limit in numbers of humans which can keep with a minimum of air, water... clean, or in anothers words, earth need a time for reclycle the water, air... humans pollute, so increasend the humans and food production without being aware of many other things also necessary is kamikaze total and the end is a crazy death for ALL.