BASF Seeks Approval for Blight-Resistant Potato

Limburgerhof –BASF Plant Science is seeking approval from the EU for a disease-resistant potato that has a natural protection against late blight.

Fortuna, a genetically optimized table potato, has a wild potato’s natural protection to late blight, a disease that causes severe problems in agriculture, according to the company. Up to 20 percent of annual harvests around the world are lost to this disease, which is caused by the fungi-like pathogen Phytophthora infestans.

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“Fortuna provides decisive benefits for agriculture,” says Peter Eckes, president of BASF Plant Science, in a statement. “The processing characteristics of Fortuna are as good as the parent variety. In addition, Fortuna offers complete protection from one of the world’s most persistent potato diseases. By coupling Fortuna with modern plant protection measures, we are now in a position to offer a food which is produced with a highly sustainable method. Consumers ultimately stand to benefit from this too.”

The application for approval covers commercial cultivation as well as use as food and feed within the EU. In the next step of the approval process, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) will assess the safety of Fortuna for humans, animals and the environment, the company says.

BASF Plant Science started research efforts on the disease-resistant potato in 2003. Fortuna has been tested in field trials for six years and has been subjected to extensive safety assessments.

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The two resistance genes transferred to Fortuna come from a South American wild potato and were originally discovered by Dutch scientists, according to BASF. Despite more than five decades of intensive effort, plant breeders using conventional methods have not managed to cross both resistance genes jointly and successfully into an agronomically high-performance potato variety.

Market introduction is expected in 2014/15.

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