Page 21 - Green knowledge 2024

Photo: Arne Hermansen
Genes for late blight resistance
Late blight is the most significant disease affecting potatoes and is a major challenge for
agriculture. Large amounts of pesticides could be saved by utilising the potato’s natural
resistance genes against the disease.
NIBIO researchers, in collaboration with Polish sci-
entists, have made significant progress in this field
through the DivGene project. The goal is to identify
genes that confer resistance to late blight and potato
virus Y and contribute to developing more resilient
potato varieties.
“With the help of a new method, we have studied
twelve genes that play a crucial role in resistance to
late blight,” says Dr May Bente Brurberg from
NIBIO.
ity to infect plants. These genes are keys in determin-
ing whether a potato plant can recognize and stop
the infection. Even small variations in these genes
can determine whether an infection succeeds or fails.
The sequencing effort has generated vast amounts of
data, providing detailed insights into both the pota-
to’s and the pathogen’s genetics. This knowledge is
essential for developing new late-blight-resistant
potato varieties and can be used by plant breeders to
create rapid testing methods, accelerating the devel-
opment of resistant varieties. Sequencing data ena-
bles targeted breeding efforts that ultimately will
reduce crop losses and minimize the need for pesti-
cides.
DNA from over 300 potato varieties from Norway,
Poland, and other countries has been analysed to
understand which genes are present in both resistant
and susceptible varieties. In addition, 60 effector
genes have been sequenced from 400 strains of the
pathogen to identify variations that influence its abil-
This work is a crucial step toward a more sustainable
potato production system.
Purpose: To identify genes that provide resistance to late blight and potato virus Y and support the
development of more resilient potato varieties.
Collaboration: Plant Breeding and Acclimatization Institute, Młochów, Poland
Funding: Norway Grants
Contact: Research Professor May Bente Brurberg, Division of Biotechnology and Plant Health.
Email: may.brurberg@nibio.no | Phone: +47 926 09 364
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