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SPUDSMART.COM SUMMER 201518 Late Blight Breakthrough A new major genetic discovery could have great potential for the Canadian potato industry. BY MARC ZIENKIEWICZ THERE MAY BE a new weapon in the fight against one of the worlds most devastating potato diseases late blight. Scientists from Wageningen University in the Netherlands and the Sainsbury Laboratory at Norwich Research Park in England say theyve identified a resistant gene that fights against new strains of the oomycete disease. The wild potato gene targets elicitin a pathogen protein that performs an important biological function. This make makes it less likely for the late blight pathogen to evolve and evade resistance. The scientists found that transferring ELR the elicitin resistance gene into cultivated potato made it more resistant to several strains of late blight opening up new possibilities for breeding a broad and durable resistance into various potato varieties increasing food security and reducing the use of fungicides. This is a new line of defense against potato blight says Sophien Kamoun research group leader at the Sainsbury Laboratory. Late blight disease is caused by Phytophthora infestans infamous for triggering the Irish potato famine in the 1800s. This widespread pathogen is still a major threat to crops worldwide and remains one of the biggest headaches for potato producers in Canada. Caused by a fungus-like oomycete microbe late blight attacks both tubers and foliage and is a threat at every stage of production from field to storage. New strains of the late blight pathogen that are resistant to conventional fungicide treatments are emerging and the disease is spreading into parts of Western Canada that were virtually blight-free until only a few years ago. The discovery is good news for Benoit Bizimungu potato breeder and gene resources curator forAgriculture and Agri-Food Canadas Potato Resource Centre in Fredericton N.B. This study represents a significant breakthrough he says. It may help us make even more progress in the fight against late blight. Sophien Kamoun research group leader at the Sainsbury Laboratory at the United Kingdoms Norwich Research Park is part of a team that identified a gene that enhances resistance against late blight disease in potatoes. PHOTO THE SAINSBURY LABORATORY.