Cisgenic potato resists phytophthora

20 Nov 2008 Unit: Plant Research International Plant Research International (PRI), part of Wageningen UR, carried out a successful field test in the summer of 2008 with potatoes that were made resistant to phytophthora by means of cisgenics. This was announced by Professor Willem Stiekema at the conference ‘The Future of Food and Agri’ in Wageningen. Stiekema showed picture of a field of green, modified potatoes next to a field of ordinary potatoes that were completely infested with the potato disease phytophthora. The scientists had infected both fields with the Phytophthora infestans pathogen to test the resistance of the GMO potato.  PRI implanted the potato with a resistance gene from wild potatoes. “We decided to use cisgenics, which involves genetic modification, using genes from the species of interest or related, crossable species ,” explains project leader Anton Haverkort of PRI. Next year the scientists are looking to perform a field test with multiple resistance genes in the potato. “By stacking multiple resistance genes we hope to be faster and smarter than the pathogen.” Previous attempts to protect the potato with one resistance gene were quickly blocked by the fungoid pathogen. PRI cannot market the resistant potato because the variety has not received European authorisation yet. Prof Stiekema and his colleagues are arguing for acceptance: “Controlling the phytophthora with pesticides has an enormous impact on the environment and costs 150 million euros in the Netherlands and ten billion euros globally each year.”

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