GMO as a mean to reduce late blight
There are
different mechanical ways of reducing phytophthora infestans, such as
controlling volunteer plants and destruction of potatoes wastes in waste heaps.
The destruction of infested plants is of course crucial but means generally
that it is already too late. Keeping a slow cultivation shift is also a way to
avoid spreading through oospores. Chemical control through spraying of
fungicides is one of the main control method in conventional agriculture.
However this has a heavy impact on the environment. In organic farming,
biological control could be a good way to avoid fungal infections as mentionned
by Pal and McSpadden [1] .
Finally growing resistant varieties is of course a good way to control the
disease pressure of P. infestans.
Among the
different methods for conferring fungal resistance, or any kind of genes, in GM
plants, one happens by the mean of soil bacterias, namely the Agrobacterium
tumefaciens. A lot of different studies, such as the one by Fillatti et al.
shows that A. tumefaciens is a good vector for gene transmission [2] . The fungal
resistance is first inserted into the DNA of this bacteria. The DNA of the
bacteria is then naturally transmitted to the plant DNA during plant infection,
leading to the integration of the fungal resistance gene in plant tissue. Since
not all the cells are infected by the bacteria, different selections are
possible to isolate resistant cells. Another method is the high speed
bombardment method where the specific gene is directly “bombarded” into the
plant cells. This method was used for the papaya gene mutation.
One of the
advantage of using the gene of the close relative Solanum bulbocastanum is that
those are cisgenes, which mean that they come from a relative with which the
potato can naturally crossbreed. Also you don’t have to tamper them, the gene
can come along with its native promoter and terminator [3] .
Fortuna was genetically modified because with classical breeding it would have
taken much more longer to develop the resistance and it would have come with
other undesirable characteristics, such as poor agronomical properties (coming
from the wild potato species). Bridge cross would also have benn needed, making
crossbreeding challenging [3] .
Apparently,
BASF encountered a wide public opposition to their project of growing Fortuna
in Europe. They had asked cultivation and marketing approval from the EFSA in Europe
in October 2011 but they stopped GMO development in Europe in 2012 and moved to
US, due to the tougher opposition and regulation in the EU. The fields were
destroyed by activists and public opinion feared that it would harm health and
biodiversity.
The swiss
moratorium forbids to cultivate GMO in Switzerland until 2021 [4] . However if it was
possible I’m still not sure I would cultivate Fortuna. Basically I find it good
to avoid having to spray fungicides over potato cultivations and I’m aware that
Fortuna is not a threat for the environment since potato plants don’t grow
naturally here. However for ethical reasons and my unwillingness to share the
patenting of life allong with the binding costs that I would have to pay to the
agricultural industry I would refuse to build such potato.
References
[1]
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K. K. Pal et B. McSpadden, «Biological Control of Plant
Pathogens,» The plant health instructor, Ohio State University, 2006.
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[2]
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J. J. Fillatti, J. Kiser, R. Rose et L. Comai, «Efficient
Transfer of a Glyphosate Tolerance Gene into Tomato Using a Binary
Agrobacterium Tumefaciens Vector,» Nature Biotechnology, n° 15,
pp. 726-730, 1987.
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[3]
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T. STORCK, T. BÖHME et H. SCHULTHEISS, «Fortuna et al.
Status and perspectives of GM approaches to fight late blight,» Editor
H.T.A.M Schepers, St. Petersburg, 2011.
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[4]
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O. f. d. l. OFAG, «Rapport sur les résultats de la
procédure de consultation relative à la modification de la loi fédérale sur
le génie génétique (Intégration des résultats du PNR 59 et des régions sans
OGM) et à l’ordonnance sur la coexistence.,» Confédération suisse, Berne,
2015.
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