Written by cpm
Download PDF Keeping late blight out of the potato crop is becoming an increasingly complex and intensive process. Plant breeders have made great strides in recent years to produce varieties with all the right qualities that would enable a more sustainable, IPM approach. CPM finds out more. Varieties score 8’s and 9’s for foliage and tuber blight, for all current strains of P. infestans. By Lucy de la Pasture Potato breeders are making huge advances in breeding, even without new breeding technologies such as gene editing and transgenics. Yet a glance at the most popular potato varieties being grown in the UK and it’s clear that disease resistance isn’t held in much esteem, particularly where the most devasting fungal pathogen, Phytophthora infestans is concerned. Maris Piper was first introduced in 1966 and has led the variety rankings for years. It occupied 13.5% of the potato area last season, with 10,000ha more to its name than any other single variety grown in the country. But as far as late blight resistance goes Piper is rated just 4 for foliar blight and 5 for tuber blight, which for all intents and purposes is very susceptible. Blight-resistant varieties could help conventional growers reduce…
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