Potato Blight Essay

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Article: Disease­ defying spuds exiled from Europe – again by Andy Coghlan The issue written in this article is regarding the banning and lack of approval for blight-resistant potatoes in the european union. Late potato blight, a potato disease caused by the the eukaryotic microorganism phytophthora infestans, is a significant cause for loss of crop and yield by potato farmers. Looking back to the past, the blight was responsible for the catastrophic Irish Great Famine of the 1840s causing eradication of their main food source, potatoes. As a result of the blight, potatoes become rotten and unsafe for human consumption. Late potato blight today is still a serious issue because it has caused the loss of $5.9 billion dollars of potatoes worldwide annually.By engineering blight resistance into potatoes, scientists have hoped to increase the yield and productivity of potato crops affected by this devastating disease. However, the attempts of the scientists are met with strong resistance by anti-GMO activists and lobbying groups, who are intent on food as naturally pure as possible. In consequence of not using genetically modified potatoes, the farmers are forced to use costly pesticides in an attempt to control the blight. With the human population rapidly increasing, it is essential that all measures be taken to increase food/crop yield in order to prevent starvation and hunger caused by the overpopulation. The battle between agricultural researchers like Simplot and the anti-GMO lobbying group GeneWatch is a controversial one that must be addressed by this generation and future generations. Supporters of Genetically modified crops, which consists of biotechnology companies and agricultural researchers, contend that the usage... ... middle of paper ... ...to plant, Solanum lycopersicum, conferring disease resistance has also been shown to be beneficial to health, as the modification results increased nutrient content, antioxidant activity, and lycopene concentration [3]. By insertion of rolB gene from A. rhizogenes into tomatoes, there are beneficial effects. Though this is one case of success, it is definite that researchers can eventually research and produce successful products of biotechnology. 1:CORNELL Dept. of Horticulture http://www.longislandhort.cornell.edu/vegpath/photos/lateblight_tomato.htm 2: PUBMED Potato protoplasts in crop improvement http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17731550 3: PUBMED Agrobacterium-Mediated Transformation of Tomato with rolB Gene Results in Enhancement of Fruit Quality and Foliar Resistance against Fungal Pathogens http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4016209/

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