Late blight is the most important disease affecting potatoes worldwide. It is caused by the pathogen Phytophthora infestans. Researchers at Wageningen University (NL) have used genetic engineering methods to transfer genes that confer resistance to this disease from wild potatoes into two potato varieties. Agroscope studied whether the resistance thereby introduced was effective in the field under the local conditions in Switzerland.
Progression of the Project
The permit for the field trial requested by Agroscope was granted by the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) in April 2015. From 2015 to 2019, a field trial was conducted annually. The monitoring of the former trial areas was completed in 2022.