Pomorsko-Mazurska Hodowla Ziemniaka Spółka z o.o. with its registered office in Strzekęcino

It has been operating on the domestic and international market for over twenty years.

About PMHZ

Genetically proven varieties,
stable production, and responsible breeding
— this is the foundation of our offer.

Pomorsko-Mazurska Potato Breeding Sp. z o.o., based in Strzekęcino, is a company with many years of experience in potato breeding and seed production.

The company operates on the domestic and international market, continuing the achievements
and tradition of many years of breeding work conducted in Strzekęcino.

During its activity, the company has developed many valuable potato varieties used by agricultural producers across Poland.

The varieties developed in our breeding centers are characterized by
high quality, strong yield performance, and resistance to diseases.

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years of potato breeding in Strzekęcino

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years of presence on the domestic and international market

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branches in Poland

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bred potato varieties

Tradition and importance for the economy

Pomorsko-Mazurska Potato Breeding Sp. z o.o. is a company of strategic importance to the national economy.

The company continues over 70 years of Polish breeding and potato seed production traditions, developed by successive generations of breeders.

Thanks to many years of research and breeding work, the company has contributed to the development of many potato varieties used in agriculture and the processing industry.

Starch varieties are of particular importance, as they constitute a key element of national agricultural production.

Pomorsko-Mazurska Potato Breeding is one of the main potato breeding centers in Poland. The company’s activities support the development of modern agriculture, seed production, and the country’s food security.

History of PMHZ

The Plant Breeding Station was established in Strzekęcino in 1950. Potato breeding and seed material was collected from secured and propagated lines of varieties in the years 1945–1950 on farms in the Koszalin–Bobolice region. In 1949, a decision was made to conduct breeding activities in Strzekęcino.

Initially, conservation breeding and potato seed production were carried out, and a few years later the breeding of new varieties also began. The basis for potato breeding was a small greenhouse and a converted storage facility, where breeding lines and clones were stored.

In 1962, the Koszalin Potato Breeding Center was established, becoming the overarching unit for all potato breeding activities in the Koszalin, Piła, and Słupsk regions. The Plant Breeding Station in Strzekęcino served as the leading site for all KHZ stations.

The appointment of the Chief Breeder at KHZ, Professor Edward Kapsa, provided an impulse to expand breeding work on potatoes across the stations and to develop the entire infrastructure related to potato breeding. New greenhouses and laboratories were built, breeding specialists were employed, and potato breeding technology was improved.

In potato breeding, instead of a general direction, a specialized focus on starch potato breeding was established, characterized by high tuber yield, high starch content, and high starch yield per hectare.

In the field of breeding and seed production, extensive cooperation was carried out with universities, the Potato Institute in Bonin, Plant Breeding Stations, as well as field services responsible for seed production and farmers.

A large and highly skilled team of potato breeders was trained and developed in Strzekęcino, many of whom later worked in various plant breeding stations across the country. Among those who made significant contributions to the development of breeding in Strzekęcino and other stations were: engineer Bronisław Fiszer, the organizer of potato breeding at the station; as well as Jan Frieske, Henryk Świstowski, Wojciech Schulc, Wacław Głowa, Juliusz Kamasa, Władysław Kuszel, Leszek Styszko, Stanisław Pera, Zdzisław Dudek, and Zbigniew Hartyn-Leszczyński.

Since the establishment of Pomorsko-Mazowiecka Potato Breeding in 1994, the company structure and the breeding of new varieties have been reorganized several times. Until 1998, activities were carried out in three branches: Strzekęcino, Płochocin, and Biesiekierz. In 1998, the Gdańsk breeding unit with a creative breeding center in Krokowa was incorporated into the company, and in 1999 the Słupsk breeding unit was added, establishing another branch in Jezierzyce. In January 2000, a branch in Celbowo was created, including the creative breeding division in Krokowa.

From 1999 to 2002, the breeding of new varieties was conducted in three centers: Strzekęcino, Płochocin, and Krokowa. In 2002, the newly appointed CEO, Franciszek Klim, decided to modernize and invest in the breeding department in Strzekęcino and to phase out activities in Płochocin, and in 2004 also in Krokowa. All breeding materials were secured and transferred to Strzekęcino. The decision to conduct new variety breeding in a single, properly equipped center proved fully justified, as confirmed by the results of breeding work. Between 1950 and 2015, 39 potato varieties were developed in Strzekęcino, 16 of which were registered in the last decade.

Since 2010, after merging with the Plant Breeding Station in Szyldak, the company has operated in four branches, with one breeding program conducted in two centers: Strzekęcino and Szyldak. Taking into account previous experience with restructuring, the company’s Management Board decided to gradually phase out creative breeding in Szyldak. Ultimately, from 2017 onward, the entire breeding program was to be carried out solely in Strzekęcino. In Szyldak, conservation breeding was expanded, including increased production of micro- and minitubers.

Pomorsko-Mazurska Potato Breeding is the creator and owner of most starch potato varieties in Poland. Of the 29 varieties listed in the National Register in 2015, as many as 14 were starch varieties, including highly sought-after and well-rated mid-early types. From the very beginning of breeding in Strzekęcino, starch varieties were the leading direction, as was also the case in Krokowa. This explains the rich selection of such varieties in the company’s portfolio.

In the face of strong competition from Western breeding companies in table, French fry, and chip potato varieties, Polish starch varieties dominate the starch potato market, most of them belonging to PMHZ. Among the most highly valued are Hinga, Harpun, Pasat, Inwestor, and Jubilat. All these varieties are characterized by high starch content, high starch yield, and resistance to viral diseases and potato blight.

In recent years, four new mid-early starch varieties have been registered: Boryna, Kaszub, Szyper, and Mieszko. The breeding program also includes efforts to develop high-quality table varieties. As a result, several new attractive table varieties have been registered in recent years, including Tajfun, Ignacy, and Owacja, all highly rated by users. Tajfun has gained particular recognition as a very tasty, high-yielding variety with good drought tolerance.

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