New PCN resilient varieties are now available thanks to advancements in potato breeding technologies writes Teagasc’s Denis Griffin and Dan Milbourne and Colm McDonnell of IPM Potato Group Ltd in an article published by Irish Farmers Journal.
Replacing older plant varieties with better-performing newer varieties is an important aspect of increasing productivity and profitability, and essential in responding to changes in consumer preferences, policy and the environment.
Potato cyst nematodes (PCN) are increasingly problematic where potatoes are intensively grown.
Until recently, very few potato varieties have been available for commercial production with resistance to both species of the pest, Globodera pallida and Globodera rostochiensis. Teagasc and IPM Potato Group have been partners in developing new potato varieties with better pest and disease resistance since the 1960s.
Several years of research and development work in genome-based breeding are starting to deliver new commercial potato varieties with high levels of resistance to both PCN species. The recently released variety Buster is the first of these.
Source: Irish Farmers Journal. Read the full article here
Photo: G. rostochiensis yellow PCN developing females on potato roots | AHDB
