The Genetically Modified (GM) Potato Project ongoing in Nigeria has concluded its first-year multi-locational confined trial in three locations, with the Biotech potatoes showing a significant yield advantage over conventional varieties planted in the country.
Preliminary results from the three locations, namely Kuru and Bokkos in Plateau State and Kusuku in Taraba State, show that the biotech potatoes had a uniform yield advantage of over 300 per cent when compared to the best-performing variety in the country when no fungicide was applied.
In the first-year multilocational confined field trial, 80–100 per cent of the control potato (non-biotech potato) died of late blight diseases. But the biotech potato performed well, with 100 per cent of the modified plants showing no late blight symptoms on the foliage.
The harvested biotech potato tubers did not show any difference in tuber size or shape compared to the non-biotech potato.
The trial manager listed the benefits of the GM potatoes including a greater number of tubers than the non-biotech potato (which is responsible for the significant yield), reductions in production cost and environmental impact, as well as the potential to influence marketability.
