Together with British and American scientists, Wageningen plant researchers have developed a new method to quickly identify genes that can make potatoes resistant to Phytophthora infestans, the organism that causes the feared potato blight.
The method is based on the interaction of genes of the pathogen and genes of the potato. Phytophthora makes proteins that are recognised by the resistance genes of the potato. By infecting potatoes with these proteins, the researchers can quickly detect potential resistance genes.
They now want to isolate multiple resistance genes from various types of potatoes and use them simultaneously to create 'broad-spectrum' resistance against the pathogen. With the approach that has been used until now, where researchers cross a single resistance gene into the potato with great difficulty, the highly adaptable pathogen quickly breaks the resistance.
At the Plant Breeding laboratory of Wageningen University, there are now several ongoing projects to detect suitable resistance genes in the potato, says researcher Dr. Vivianne Vleeshouwers. For this purpose, her research group has selected a number of wild potato types from the Andes. Vleeshouwers believes that a potato with a set of broad-spectrum resistance genes can be created within five years, if legislation permits. ‘The potato is a difficult crop to breed and Phytophthora is a difficult disease to control. But by looking more closely at the fundamental biological interactions between the crop and the pathogen, we hope to make progress in the breeding.’ / Albert Sikkema
The above article was written by the editorial staff of Resource, the weekly newspaper for Wageningen University and Research Centre. For more information, contact the press and science information officer of Wageningen UR, e-mail: pers.communicatie@wur or the editorial staff of Resource, e-mail: resource@wur.nl. See the archived articles at http://www.resource-online.nl