The company that developed GMO potatoes that resist bruising will work with two universities to develop genetically modified blight-resistant potatoes for farmers in Indonesia and Bangladesh, reports Capital Press. A spokesman for JR Simplot Co., based in Boise, said the new varieties may be available for cultivation in five years. Potatoes are one of the leading staple crops of the world. The U.S. Agency for International Development awarded a $5.8 million grant to Michigan State U to partner with U-Minnesota and Simplot in the project.
A plant disease that can be caused by fungus or bacteria, blight can result in severe yield losses in potatoes in hot and humid climates despite frequent spraying. Simplot spokesman Doug Cole said the goal of the project is to improve food security while reducing chemical usage. “Simplot hopes to find blight resistant genes in wild potato varieties. The genes will then be introduced into the Asian spud varieties,” said Capital Press.
Simplot developed the Innate potato, engineered to resist bruising and to produce lower levels of acrylamide during frying or baking. The company’s growers “recently harvested their first commercial crop of Innate potatoes,” said Capital Press, and Simplot has developed a second generation of the potato that is resistant to late blight strains commonly found in the United States.