SolEdits, the Swedish agtech company and spin-off from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), has progressed the first potato genotype that meets the EU’s newly agreed regulatory framework for Category 1 New Genomic Technique (NGT) plants.
Developed in close collaboration with Lyckeby, the potato is among the first NGT-
compliant crops in Europe to be ready for commercial deployment under the new
rules. SolEdits is the development company behind the innovative technology, while
commercialisation and market introduction are handled by its partners.
The EU’s political agreement on NGT legislation marks a historic shift for European
agriculture. It is now clear that crops developed with precise genome editing —
without introducing foreign DNA — will be treated in the same way as conventionally
bred varieties.
This regulatory breakthrough now opens the market for a new generation of future-
ready potatoes.
From regulation to reality
For years, modern potato breeding has, in Europe, been constrained by regulation
rather than biology. With the new Category 1 NGT framework agreed between the
EU Council, the European Commission and the European Parliament, that barrier
has been removed.
SolEdits’ work with Lyckeby demonstrates what this change enables in practice:
faster innovation, lower environmental impact and real industrial value — without
altering the fundamental nature of the crop.
“These rules are more than a regulatory update. They allow Europe to start designing the potatoes it will need for the next 50 years.”
— Mariette Andersson, CEO, SolEdits
The First Category 1 NGT Potato developed with Lyckeby
SolEdits’ first NGT-ready potato was developed to address a long-standing challenge
in starch production: the need for chemical modification.
Through a limited number of precise CRISPR-based edits, SolEdits removed starch
components that previously required chemical treatment. The result is a potato which
extracted starch enables significant reductions in chemical use while maintaining
performance and quality.
The potato serves as one of the first real-world examples of how NGT-based
breeding can deliver immediate environmental and economic benefits under the new
EU framework.
What Comes Next: Editum™ A shortcut to future-proof potatoes
With regulatory clarity now in place, SolEdits is expanding its role as a development
partner to the potato industry through Editum™, the company’s proprietary precision-
breeding process.
SolEdits does not market or sell potato varieties. Instead, Editum™ enables
breeders, growers and processors to upgrade their existing varieties by correcting
identified weaknesses or adding critical traits — while preserving the good genetics
and characteristics they already posses.
Compared to conventional breeding approaches, Editum™ enables the development
of improved potato varieties in roughly one third of the time, providing a faster and
more precise way to adapt existing varieties to future climate conditions and evolving
agricultural demands.
Traits designed for tomorrow’s agriculture
Using targeted Category 1 NGT edits, can help partners develop potatoes with traits
such as:
- Resistance to late blight, reducing pesticide use
- Improved drought tolerance
- Enhanced heat tolerance for a warming climate
- Optimised starch composition for processing
- Better storage stability and reduced food waste
As climate pressure and input costs rise, such traits will become essential for the
competitiveness of European potato production.
A turning point for potato breeding
The combination of new EU rules and SolEdits’ development platform marks a
fundamental shift for the potato sector.
Innovation that previously required long, multi-stage breeding processes can now be
achieved in roughly one third of the time — while preserving the core characteristics
of existing potato varieties and adapting them to future climate conditions.
“Our role is to upgrade the potatoes the world already grows and loves — and make them ready for what comes next.”
— Mariette Andersson, CEO, SolEdits
