[Researchers] at the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization have used genetic modification to create potatoes that are resistant to late blight, a disease that can attack entire crop fields if left untreated.
Late blight is caused by the fungus-like pathogen Phytophthora infestans, and it attacks the leaves, stems, and potato tubers, making the potato inedible, and it can spread incredibly fast.
As researcher Dr. Moses Nyongesa noted, without control measures in place, late blight can lead to a 30% yield loss.
The solution is a strain of potatoes resistant to late blight …. To achieve this, the researchers harvested genes from wild potatoes that are resistant to late blight and introduced those genes into varieties grown in Kenya.
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“We now have the biotechnology potato variety that is under development at quite advanced stages now,” Nyongesa said.
The modified potatoes have been tested over two growing seasons in three separate locations and have proven to be resistant to late blight. Testing also showed that the modification did not change the nutritional composition of the potatoes.
