Fortuna (potato)
Fortuna is a potato variety developed by BASF Plant Science , a subsidiary of the German chemical company BASF , which has been made resistant to late blight ( Phytophthora infestans ) using genetic engineering methods .
development
The newly developed potato variety was based on a potato variety found in South America ( Solanum bulbocastanum ), which is resistant to the late blight pathogen. Several genes that are responsible for the resistance have been identified in this wild potato . Two of these resistance genes were transferred to an existing potato variety.
The new variety should reduce the use (previously up to more than 20 times a year in bad weather conditions) of fungicides against the pathogens and thus help the farmer to use chemicals in a more sustainable and economical manner. Fortuna was particularly suitable for making French fries, but could also have been processed into chips or consumed as tableware.
In November 2011, BASF Plant Science applied to the European Union for approval of the Fortuna potato variety as a food.
Due to a lack of acceptance in Europe, BASF Plant Science decided in spring 2012 to discontinue biotechnology projects that were designed exclusively for the European market and to relocate the site to North America. This concerns u. a. the Amflora and Fortuna projects .
Further development
In contrast, the potato is experiencing a kind of rebirth in the USA under the name " Innate (2nd generation, Event W8) " with the resistance gene Rpi-vnt1 from Solanum stoloniferum . There is also a further development with several resistances from researchers from Belgium and the Netherlands.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ BASF: Fortuna, the potato variety for more serenity ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 2.7 MB)
- ↑ a b Marc Strehler: Does gene tuber bring Fortuna luck? Palatine Mercury, August 18, 2009. Retrieved September 8, 2012.
- ^ Stephan Börnecke: The evil EU Frankfurter Rundschau, August 18, 2009. Accessed on September 8, 2012.
- ↑ EU approval for GM potatoes applied for Die Zeit, October 31, 2011. Accessed on September 8, 2012.
- ↑ BASF concentrates plant biotechnology activities on main markets in North and South America ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. BASF.com, January 16, 2012. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
- ↑ Daniela Kuhr: BASF discontinues Amflora cultivation - The end of the GM potato in Europe Süddeutsche Zeitung, January 16, 2012. Retrieved September 8, 2012.
- ↑ Genetic engineering potatoes: Complete and permanent resistance only with several resistance genes ( Memento of the original from October 1, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , September 3, 2015
