Potato late blight is the most dangerous disease of potatoes in the world. More than 10 billion US dollars are spent annually on the fight against it in the world.
Let's talk about a new operational approach to potato breeding that can make the varieties loved by farmers resistant to late blight. Now the latest biotechnological methods are combined with the oldest breeding technique - the collection of wild genes from the distant ancestors of the potato.
“There are 300 potato farmers in Uganda. Late blight significantly reduces income and poses a threat to human health and the environment, ”says Dr. Erik Magembe, Research Fellow at the International Potato Center (CIP). “Unfortunately, the most popular varieties among farmers and consumers, such as Victoria, are especially susceptible to late blight.”
CIP scientists took three genes for resistance to this dangerous disease from the Mexican and Argentine wild relatives of the potato (Solanum bulbocastanum и Solanum venturi) and transferred them to five farmer favorite potatoes used in sub-Saharan Africa. The genes were identified and isolated by scientists at the University of Wisconsin, Wageningen University and Research Laboratory, and Sainsbury Laboratory.
Wild relatives of crops are genetically related to domesticated crops. They have always been valued by farmers as a source of traits for creating new varieties using traditional breeding methods.
“Because the pathogen is constantly evolving, we need to act quickly,” says Dr. Marc Ghyslain, senior biotechnologist at CIP. “Traditional breeding takes too long. Biotechnology allows varieties to be introduced to farmers' fields much faster. In just three years we have improved Victoria. She was named 3R Victoria. This sample can grow without the use of fungicides. ”
“We invited farmers to field trials so they could see the differences between the biotech modified and the original Victoria,” continues Ghislain. "The first variant of the plants was green and healthy, and the second completely died from late blight."
In addition to working in Uganda, the improved varieties will be tested and planted after regulatory approval in Ethiopia and Nigeria.
Genetic engineering technologies are an important tool in the much broader approach to food systems adopted by the CIP for the benefit of farmers in Africa and Asia.