Nigeria harvests late blight disease resistant potato field trials

Nigeria harvests late blight disease resistant potato field trials.

The Global Biotech Potato Partnership Nigerian team recently harvested three confined field trials of late blight resistant (LBR) potato. Trials in Mambilla, Kuru, and Bokus were all planted at the end of May.

These trials will provide important data on the performance of several LBR potato varieties developed using genetic engineering. The project, led in Nigeria by the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI) and CIP as part of the Feed the Future Global Biotech Potato Partnership with support from the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) will select the best performing varieties for commercial release.

LB is the most serious potato disease in Nigeria. Having a LBR potato would provide relief to farmers who often spray multiple times a season to keep the disease at bay.

While the data and results of the trials still need to be analyzed, the images of plot yields of the late blight disease resistant potatoes shown alongside the conventional variety counterparts provide a stark contrast and indicate the potential benefit to farmers (see photo above, LBR potato plot yield on right) .

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