A team of Israeli researchers led by Dr. David Levy has developed a new generation of potato cultivars capable of thriving in conditions of extreme heat and drought, offering a breakthrough for growers in arid regions where traditional potato farming has long been considered unviable.

Developed over three decades at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and supported by the Israeli Ministry of Agriculture, these heat-tolerant varieties are now being cultivated commercially in desert environments across Israel, Jordan, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia. The initiative represents a significant response to the dual threats of climate change and declining availability of fertile, irrigable land.

Field trials in Israel’s Negev Desert—where daytime temperatures often exceed 35°C—have shown consistent yields of 25–30 tonnes per hectare using just 70% of the water typically required for conventional varieties. This performance not only matches yields in temperate regions but does so with a substantially lower irrigation footprint, making the varieties particularly attractive to growers in regions facing chronic water scarcity.

“These potato lines were bred using conventional methods, selecting for key traits such as heat resilience, yield stability, and disease resistance,” explained Dr. Levy. “By crossing wild, heat-tolerant potatoes from Mexico and the Andes with commercial cultivars, we have produced a product that retains consumer-friendly characteristics—taste, texture, nutritional value—while radically expanding the environments in which potatoes can be grown.”

The breeding effort incorporated 31 favourable alleles from wild germplasm, conferring not just heat and drought tolerance but also resistance to late blight (Phytophthora infestans), a major concern in warmer climates. The varieties are non-GMO and suitable for markets with strict regulatory barriers on genetically modified organisms.

Commercial uptake in the region is already under way. In Israel, more than 500 hectares have been established since 2023, as part of government-backed sustainable agriculture programs. In Jordan, 200 hectares have been planted, generating employment for over 1,500 rural workers and driving a reported 20% income increase among early adopters due to improved yields and reduced water costs.

Drip irrigation—an established practice in Israeli desert agriculture—has been key to the success of these new cultivars. Field plots equipped with this system demonstrated optimal water use efficiency, a crucial advantage in sandy soils with low retention. The growing cycle ranges from 90 to 110 days, aligning well with warm-season planting schedules across much of the Middle East and North Africa.

“Potatoes are one of the world’s most nutrient-rich staple crops,” said Dr. Levy. “With 2g of protein, 17mg of vitamin C, and 400mg of potassium per 100g, these new varieties can play a vital role in addressing micronutrient deficiencies in food-insecure populations across arid regions.”

Beyond regional implementation, the project is part of a broader international effort to develop climate-resilient crops. Collaborations with the International Potato Center in Peru and research centers in Chile have led to knowledge exchange and technology transfer. An improved stress-assessment methodology developed by Levy’s team—based on thermal indices and biomass modelling—has also been adopted abroad to accelerate breeding programs in other climate-challenged zones.

With global potato output at risk due to rising temperatures, the FAO warns of potential 10% yield declines by 2050 unless climate-adapted strategies are widely adopted. Israel’s success is now being closely watched by agronomic research institutions and policy-makers as a scalable model for other arid zones, from Sub-Saharan Africa to Central Asia.

As the world’s fourth-largest food crop, potatoes offer high caloric and nutritional returns per hectare. But until now, their cultivation has largely excluded vast swathes of land exposed to heat extremes. That is beginning to change.