Institut für Pflanzenschutz in Ackerbau und Grünland
Quarantined pest Synchytrium endobioticum, responsible for development of wart disease on potato tubers presents a serious threat for sustained potato production. Although few available varieties encode resistance genes against this fungus, they are not efficient against the whole spectrum of S. endobioticum pathotypes. Therefore, introduction of broad-spectrum resistance that would remain stable over long periods of time into potato germplasm is a highly ranked direction in potato breeding. This goal requires the combination of different resistance mechanisms in a single potato variety. The selection of ones suitable for pyramiding will be based on molecular as well as functional studies revealing the mechanisms underlying the resistances. Another important aspect of the work is the development of an in vitro phenotyping system characterised by an increased turnover without compromising the resolution compared to other currently available solutions.
Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture
