
Modern DNA Technology Applied on 19th Century Potatoes
September 26, 2012 |
Researchers from the University of Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom have applied modern DNA techniques on late 19th century potatoes to show how late blight survived between cropping seasons after the Irish potato famine of the 1840s. The team extracted DNA from the archived 19th century potato samples of Rothamsted scientists. The DNA was then analyzed for presence of Phytophthora infestans, the potato blight pathogen.
Bruce Fitt, plant pathology professor at the University of Hertfordshire and formerly at Rothamsted Research, said that "the potato samples enabled us to apply modern DNA techniques to better understand late potato blight and the implications for today's food security. The analysis of these late 19th century potato samples is the earliest proof of how this disease survived between seasons in England."
Late blight of potato rapidly destroys the leaves of potato crops and was responsible for the Irish potato famine. With growing concerns over food shortages and climate change, late blight remains a serious problem in potato production.
The abstract of their paper in Plant Pathology is at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-3059.2012.02680.x/abstract. The news release is available at http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/09/120919083403.htm.
|
Biotech Updates is a weekly newsletter of ISAAA, a not-for-profit organization. It is distributed for free to over 22,000 subscribers worldwide to inform them about the key developments in biosciences, especially in biotechnology. Your support will help us in our mission to feed the world with knowledge. You can help by donating as little as $10.
-
See more articles:
-
News from Around the World
- FAO, France Vow Partnership for Food Security
- CGIAR CEO Talks About the Org's Way Forward
- Cameroon Partners with IITA to Improve Agriculture
- CIMMYT, IITA Conduct Training on Seed Production and Field Trials Management
- Twisting of Plants' Roots Prompted by Barriers, Researchers Find
- Bacillus Subtilis not Always a Good Bacterium, Scientists Reveal
- Scientists Uncover How Plants Create Benzoic Acid
- AMA Reiterates Support for GM Technology
- Filipino Student Writers to Feature Crop Biotech in Campus Journalism Contest
- GAIN Report on Philippine Biotech
- Brookes Presents Global Impact of Biotech Crops to Indonesian Stakeholders
- IFAD Funds Root and Tuber Crops R & D Program in Asia-Pacific Region
- Food Security Discussed in Hanoi
- Scientists to Sequence, Analyze Soil DNA
- Modern DNA Technology Applied on 19th Century Potatoes
-
Research Highlights
- A Draft Genome Sequence of Nicotina benthamiana to Enhance Molecular Plant-Microbe Biology Research
-
Announcements
- Plant and Animal Genome XXI Conference
- Korea Hosts 10th International Congress on Plant Molecular Biology
-
Resources
- Biotech Communication Chapters on Thailand, Malaysia and Bangladesh
-
Read the latest: - Biotech Updates (February 12, 2025)
- Gene Editing Supplement (February 12, 2025)
- Gene Drive Supplement (February 22, 2023)
-
Subscribe to BU: - Share
- Tweet