An international team of scientists has discovered a new gene from the plant Solanum americanum that makes potatoes resistant to 19 different variants of Phytophthora infestans. Scientists from Wageningen University & Research collaborated on the research with colleagues from the Sainsbury Laboratory and the John Innes Center in Norwich, the universities of East Anglia, Leeds and Hull and the Technical University of Munich.
The Solanum americanum plant is not affected by Phytophthora. The resistance genes isolated from this plant recognize conserved avirulence genes of Phytophthora infestans. These conserved avirulence genes do not change quickly.
In an extensive test with 19 Phytophthora infestans isolates from different geographical areas, no isolate was found to affect the leaves of potatoes bearing the relevant resistance genes. It is expected that the Rpi-amr1 resistance found will be more durable than could be achieved with other resistance genes so far.
The scientists have the article about their research A complex resistance locus in Solanum americanum recognizes a conserved Phytophthora effector published in Nature Plants.
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