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J.R. Simplot Co., in cooperation with two Midwest universities, is developing a new line of genetically modified potato varieties intended to help fight hunger in Bangladesh and Indonesia.
The U.S. Agency for International Development announced Oct. 26 that it’s awarded a $5.8 million grant to Michigan State University to partner with University of Minnesota and Simplot in developing biotech Asian spud varieties with genes introduced to resist late blight.
Simplot spokesman Doug Cole said potatoes are a food staple in Bangladesh and Indonesia, but in those climates, growers must spray for blight daily and still experience yield losses. In addition to helping the countries improve their food security with fewer chemical inputs, Cole said the USAID grant research should further Simplot’s efforts to develop third-generation Innate lines for U.S. production with even stronger blight resistance.
“We’ll be that much closer to a comprehensive blight solution,” Cole said.
He said Simplot hopes to find blight resistant genes in wild potato varieties. The genes will then be introduced into the Asian spud varieties.
“We’re doing a series of experiments to look at combinations of blight genes that work complementary to each other to provide the highest level of resistance,” Cole said. “We have already done some early work on promising multiple resistance genes, so we believe we can hit the ground running.”
“Internationally, potatoes are the third-largest food crop,” Dave Douches, who leads MSU’s potato breeding and genetics program, said in a press release. “Our team is committed to developing new varieties, finding potatoes that result in reduced pesticide use and more sustainable growing methods and exploring ways to enhance the nutritional value of the potato.”
Read full, original post: Simplot, universities to develop GMO spuds for Asia
