Wageningen, The Netherlands
December 15, 2008
Source: Plant Sciences Group
newsletter December 2008
Last summer,
Plant Research International
has performed a successful field test with potatoes that were
made phytophthora resistant by means of cisgenics. Willem
Stiekema, Professor of Genome Information and director of the
Centre for Biosystems Genomics, announced this success at the
November’s 'The Future of Food and Agri' conference in
Wageningen. Cisgenics is genetic modification involving genes
from the species of interest or related species.
The test is part of a research programme called ‘Sustainable
Resistance to Phytophthora’ of the Dutch Ministry of
Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, led by Anton Haverkort of
PRI. Controlling the phytophthora with pesticides has an
enormous impact on the environment and costs 150 million euros
in the Netherlands each year.
PRI implanted the potato with a resistance gene from wild
potatoes that are crossable with the modern potato. These
genetically modified plants are thus called cisgenic plants. The
scientists are planning to perform a field test with multiple
resistance genes in the potato during 2009.
Wageningen, The Netherlands
December 21, 2008
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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