The International Potato Center (CIP) is therefore pleased to announce the new biofortified potato variety: CIP–KALLPA YAWRI protected under plant variety protection certificate Nº 0521 issued by National Institute for the Defence of Competition and the Protection of Intellectual Property (Indecopi), a new biofortified potato variety developed to address iron and zinc deficiencies in the population. This variety features high iron content while maintaining excellent agronomic performance and high culinary quality.
Developed through CIP’s conventional breeding strategy, this variety combines the strong disease resistance, yield potential, and wide adaptation of advanced lines with the enhanced micronutrient content of biofortified diploid lines.
Farmers, together with INIA-Perú, universities, NGOs, and local partners, played a central role through participatory variety selection (PVS), ensuring that CIP-KALLPA YAWRI meets both nutritional needs and farming realities in the Peruvian Andes.
Additionally, the variety has been officially recognized as a commercial variety in Peru in 2024 SENASA with code N° 001-2024-MIDAGRI-SENASA-DELYC.
Agronomic Performance
- Average yield of 25 t/ha, with observed ranges in farmers’ fields (12.34 to 36.95 t/ha.)
- Maturity period: Medium (approximately 145 days)
- Plant Characteristics: The plant growth habit: Semi-erect. Main steam pigmentation: Medium; Plant height: Short. Leaf: Light green leaf color.
- Dormancy Period: About 120 days, allowing good storage and staggered market supply.
Resistance and resilience
- High resistance to late blight (Phytophthora infestans) and performs well under integrated pest management, requiring fewer agrochemical applications.
- Field evaluations in frost-prone Andean environments indicate a strong capacity for recovery after natural frost events.
Tuber characteristics
- General tuber shape: Ovoid.
- Slightly deep of tuber eyes.
- Tuber skin color: Brownish-Red; Red color in the base of the eyes.
- Tuber flesh color: Light yellow ;
Organoleptic and Nutritional Quality
- This new variety has an average 19.17 mg of iron/kg dry weight (Range:13.20-23.32 mg/kg dry weight), which is in average 35.10% more iron than the most widely grown and commercially important potato variety in Peru.
- With a high dry matter content of 23.90% and a low glycoalkaloid level of 0.29 mg/100 g fresh weight, the variety demonstrates good fresh culinary quality and is well-suited for traditional Andean preparations.
Adaptation
- It has an adaptation range from 2600 to 4200 m.a.s.l. for the northern and central of the Andean region of Peru.
Benefits for Farmers and Food Systems
- Anemia remains a critical public health issue in Peru, affecting 42.4% of children under 36 months and 20.6% of women of reproductive age, with even higher rates in rural Andean areas. Because potatoes are widely consumed—up to 500 g/day in women—iron-biofortified potatoes offer an effective strategy to improve nutrition where intake is highest.
- CIP-KALLPA YAWRI contains about 34% more iron than non-biofortified potatoes, and their iron shows exceptionally high absorption rates (14–29%), resulting in 46% more absorbable iron. Consuming 500 g of iron-biofortified potatoes can provide over 50% of the daily iron requirement for women with low iron stores.
- CIP-KALLPA YAWRI directly supports this goal by offering significantly higher iron content than widely grown commercial varieties. Its integration into agricultural and nutritional interventions—including seed dissemination, crop management training, and community-based nutrition education—can strengthen efforts to reduce anemia and chronic malnutrition among vulnerable groups, particularly women and young children.
- For farmers, CIP-KALLPA YAWRI provides strong agronomic advantages: high yield potential, resistance to late blight, and good adaptation across Andean environments, reducing production risks and input costs. Its favorable culinary qualities and nutritional value also create market opportunities, contributing to improved household income and more resilient local food systems.
Availability
CIP works with national agricultural research systems and partners to facilitate the responsible dissemination of improved varieties. Access to planting material is provided in accordance with applicable international agreements governing the exchange of plant genetic resources, including the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.
References
- Amoros, W.; Salas, E.; Hualla, V.; Burgos, G.; De Boeck, B.; Eyzaguirre, R.; Felde, T. zum; Bonierbale, M.W. (2020). Heritability and genetic gains for iron and zinc concentration in diploid potato. Crop Science. ISSN 1435-0653. Published online 13Apr2020
- Burgos, G.; Liria, R.; Zeder, C.; Kroon, P.A.; Hareau, G.; Penny, M.; Dainty, J.; Al-Jaibaji, O.; Boy, E.; Mithen, R.; Hurrell, R.F.; Salas, E.; Zimmermann, M.; Fairweather-Tait, S. 2023.DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tjnut.2023.04.010
- Salas, E.; Bastos, C.; Maccera, C.; Cevallos, D.; De Boeck, B.; Burgos, G.; Campos, H. 2021. Potenciales nuevas variedades de papa biofortificada con altos contenidos de hierro y zinc, para contribuir a la seguridad alimentaria y nutricional en agricultura familiar alto andina. Reporte Final STC. Lima (Perú). Centro Internacional de la Papa. 42 pp. DOI https://doi.org/10.4160/9789290605935
- International Potato Center. CIP-KALLPA YAWRI, (Fuerza de Hierro). Cultivar de papa biofortificada con alto contenido de hierro. Expediente técnico de variedad de papa. Lima, Perú. ISBN: 10.4160/cip.2024.07.001. 80 p.
- Rodriguez, C.; Pradel, W.; Ordinola, M.; Burgos, G.; Salas, E.; Perez, W.; Kante, M.; Muñoa, L.; Hareau, G.; Polar, V.; Andrade-Piedra, J. 2025. Papas biofortificadas Mejorando la nutrición y la seguridad alimentaria mediante la agrobiodiversidad andina: Dossier y estrategia de escalamiento. International Potato Center: Lima, Peru. DOI https://doi.org/10.4160/cip.2025.12.014