Purple Magic potato developed in Northern Ireland reaches finals of INVENT 2016

Purple Magic, a new breed of Northern Ireland potato with high anthocyanin content, was invented by Paul Watts at the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) in Loughgall. Paul has used innovative scientific methods to boost disease resistance and tolerance to stress within the potato breeding programme over the last 30 years. More recently, Paul invented a novel potato variety that would appeal to modern consumers. There is a growing awareness of the positive health benefits of increased consumption of highly coloured fruit and vegetables and the range of products being offered by supermarkets. The new variety has now reached the finals of INVENT 2016, which challenges inventors, entrepreneurs, scientists and startups with proof-of-concepts and prototypes in science and technology to discover the commercial potential of their ideas. More