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160 Years Later, Scientists Grow a GM Potato That Could Have Prevented the Irish Potato Famine. Genetically modified potatoes resistant to potato blight were designed in Ireland
May 18, 2018 · A potato variety genetically engineered to resist potato blight can help reduce the use of chemical fungicides by up to 90 percent, according to a new study - drastically reducing the environmental impact of potato farming.
May 26, 2020 · To help demonstrate the power of biotechnology, consider the following analogy: Imagine you have two decks of cards, one red and one blue, and each deck contains all the genes of a potato. The...
- Background Information
- How Are Potatoes Genetically Modified?
- Why Is GM Needed For Late Blight Resistance, Why Not Use Traditional Breeding?
- Tuber Quality Traits: Why Is Bruising An Issue?
Late blight caused the Irish Potato famine of the 19th Century. It results from infection by the fungal-like mould Phytophthora infestans, causing losses of $6B/ year for potato and tomato production.Potato is the fourth most important crop in the world and widely grown in Europe, USA, South America, Canada, China, India and Africa.Potato is easy to modify using strains of nature’s genetic engineer the bacterium Agrobacterium tumefaciens which transfers specific genes into cells of potato. Pieces of potato stem are used for making the genetically modified potato plants. Cells which have received the gene from the bacterium form a mass of undifferentiated cells, or callus, on ...
Traditional breeding techniques have failed to produce varieties that have durable resistance to late blight. This is because they have tended to introduce resistance genes one at a time which are easily overcome by the pathogen. Professor Jonathan Jones says: “If you put in three effective genes at once they are all in effect saving each other bec...
Bruising causes millions of potatoes to be thrown away every year. Maris Piper lines used in these trials have a gene switched off, or silenced, which makes the tuber less prone to bruising and ensure that the potato meets customer quality specifications. “There is a lot of wastage from bruising. Potato harvest is in September/October so to ensure ...
Jan 10, 2022 · Genetically engineered (GE) potato plants, obtained by classical genetic transformation strategies or genome editing tools, with increased resistance to insects, bacteria, fungi, viruses, herbicides, abiotic factors, and/or improved nutritional and post-harvest quality were developed.
- 10.3389/fpls.2021.768233
- 2021
- Front Plant Sci. 2021; 12: 768233.
Jan 6, 2022 · This review aims to highlight the current genetic engineering tools that are being employed in potato improvement, with special emphasis on varieties that have reached the market. It examines the traits that have been modified in potato, the methods used, and the final outcomes.
People also ask
Will genetically modified potatoes banish the Potato Famine?
Can genetically engineered potatoes reduce the use of chemical fungicides?
What are genetically engineered potato plants?
Are GM potatoes blight resistant?
Feb 17, 2014 · By Matt McGrath. Environment correspondent, BBC News. British scientists have developed genetically modified potatoes that are resistant to the vegetable's biggest threat - blight. A...
