RE SEARCH Research into cisgeneses continues unabated ‘A number of reports have been written recently about cisgeneses that clearly indicate that cisgeneses is as safe as any conventional method of plant breeding. It is a pity, therefore, to have to conclude that this ministry and some politicians are unreceptive to ongoing scientific understanding’, are the recent words of Professor Evert Jacobson in his valedictory speech. Yet research in the domain of cisgeneses will continue unabated after his leaving the Plant Breeding department of Wageningen University, as was confirmed by the trial field of the DuRPh project. to give more weight to the theoretical safety risk than the possibility of considerably reducing the use of fungicides. For the potato this already means in the Netherlands alone 1,500 to 2,000 active substances on 157,000 hectares. This is also fifty percent of all plant protection chemicals we spray annually.’ For Professor Jacobsen, the arguments against embracing cisgeneses have always been incomprehensible and he repeated them again in his valedictory speech as Professor of Plant Breeding at Wageningen University. The consequences of this political stance are that developments in this area will now take place outside Europe. You’ll find acceptance for GMO there and understanding for the argument that this instrument can be used to reduce plant protection chemicals. ‘T Phytophthora costs 150 million euros a year. The political resistance does not make ongoing research into cisgeneses or genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in Europe pointless, however. In this context the professor quotes the example of the GMO study of potatoes with amylose-free starch. ‘This caused a great deal of controversy, but has had an enormous scientific impact. Many laboratories are working with the results. It’s good to see that the product in question, the amylose-free starch potato, has finally reached the market. It is providing new he European Union is threatening The consequences of the political stance in Europe is that development in the domain of GMO will now take place outside Europe’, warns Professor Evert Jacobsen. possibilities for both food and technical applications. Society must recognise that the costs alone involved in controlling Phytophthora, labour costs included, are 150 million euros per year. This is 15 percent of the 800 million euros turnover of the Dutch potato sector. Worldwide, the story becomes even more impressive. The turnover is 27 million tons and Phytophthora causes a loss of 8 to 10 million euros. The classic breeders have long been combating the problem, but without much success’, says the retiring scientist. Already 24 resistant genes identified In countries that lack the finances to buy crop protection chemicals, Phytophthora can easily halve a yield. For this reason, a number of years ago, the DuRPh project was set up; this project enables scientists to research sustainable solutions for Phytophthora resistance. Recently, during various meetings, breeders and researchers could admire the trial field results of this project in Wageningen. Breeder Dr Ronald Hutten led the visitors round the fields. He explained that, already at the start of the DuRPh project, two hundred wild potato varieties from over a thousand places of origin were examined for Phytophthora resistance. The researchers discovered interesting, vital, wild varieties that were examined for inherited resistance. Subsequently, resistance genes that corresponded with cloned resistance genes against other diseases were isolated. It transpired, for example, that the well-known Rpi-blb1 resistance gene, which was removed from the Solanum bulbocastanum (blb), also occurs in the Solanum stoloferum and Solanum papita varieties. It is therefore not a hard and fast rule that resistances from various wild potato varieties don’t also have other resistance genes. So far, 24 absolutely different resistance genes have been discovered. According to Jacobsen, there are genes with a wide resistance spectrum against Phytophthora. 4 Potato World 2013 • number 1 Pagina 3
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