According to reports in Brussels Times, a team of scientists from Ghent University in Belgium has developed a new vaccine which could prevent potato blight. The team of bio-engineers say that the vaccine can prevent late blight (Phytopthora infestans) without the side effects of existing chemical fungicides.
Like other vaccines, the new development uses a mutation of P. infestans to provoke an immune response in the plant, allowing the potato to develop its own immune system against the disease.
“On unprotected potato fields, the pathogen can cause the entire harvest to fail within a period of seven to ten days,” explained Professor Geert Haesaert, who leads the project. “Our research group therefore started to search for alternatives, including a possible effect of Green Leaf Volatiles or GLVs on the resistance of the potato plant to the pest.”
The properties of GLVs are now being further studied by the CropFit group in Gent University’s Plant and Crops group, with special attention on the Bintje potato variety. The new development aligns with the EU’s new Green Deal, which aims to reduce fungicide use by up to 50 per cent.
Photo Caption: The new vaccine could allow plants to fight off potato blight themselves