Genetically modified potatoes 'resist late blight'

A three-year trial has shown that these potatoes can thrive despite being exposed to late onset blight. That disease has plagued farmers for generations and triggered the Irish potato famine in the 1840s. EU approval is needed before commercial cultivation of this GM crop can take place, BBC News reports. The research is published in the journal, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B. Potatoes are particularly vulnerable to late blight, a fungus-like organism that loves the damp and humid conditions that often occur during the growing season in Europe. The speed with which this infection takes hold and the devastating impacts on the crop, makes it the number one threat to six million tonnes of potatoes produced in the UK each year. Farmers have to be continuously on their guard and need to spray up to 15 times a season to protect against the disease. As part of an EU-wide investigation into the potential for biotechnology to protect crops, scientists at the John Innes Centre and the Sainsbury Laboratory began a trial with blight-resistant potatoes in 2010. Details also here