Scientists develop new GM potato variety free from blight disease
Dr Eric Magembe, lead researcher in the biotech potato project, shows the new variety under confined field trials in Njabini, Nyandarua County.
What you need to know:
- The project has conducted confined field trials in Uganda, Kenya and Nigeria with promising results. The trials began last year in May after getting a nod from the National Biosafety Authority.
- In Kenya, the trials were undertaken in three Kenya Agricultural Livestock Research Organization sites in potato growing regions namely Muguga, Njabini and Molo.
Timothy Kipsang, a farmer from Kipkabus in Uasin Gishu County, has been growing potatoes on his farm for more than a decade. Like most farmers, he has to contend with the destructive late blight disease and other diseases that lead to crop losses.
“Potato is a sensitive crop on nutrition and imbalance and thus a farmer has to be on the lookout. With good farm practices, you can harvest 80 to 100 bags per acre, but you may end up losing the entire crop to blight,” he says, noting that he has had to apply agro-chemicals every week to control the disease at the flowering stage.
But there is good news.
Researchers have developed a genetically modified potato variety that promises to increase farmers’ yields and tackle pests and diseases.
The researchers working on a biotech potato project dubbed ‘Global Biotech Potato Partnership’ are upbeat on releasing the potato variety that is free from the blight disease.
The project has conducted confined field trials in Uganda, Kenya and Nigeria with promising results. The trials began last year in May after getting a nod from the National Biosafety Authority.
In Kenya, the trials were undertaken in three Kenya Agricultural Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) sites in potato growing regions namely Muguga, Njabini and Molo. The project is coordinated by Michigan State University in collaboration with KALRO, Africa Agricultural Technology Foundation, International Potato Centre and other partners.
The GM potato variety is tolerant to late blight disease caused by Phytophthora infestans, eliminating the need to apply harmful chemicals on the crop to control notorious pests.
“This is a GM potato variety where we have transferred genes from undomesticated potatoes that grow in the wild. The process of transferring these genes is by agrobacterium mediated genetic transformation,” observes Dr Eric Magembe, lead researcher in the project.
He points out that in Kenya, potato farmers currently harvest up to 10 tonnes per hectare due to blight disease, adding that with the improved GM variety, they will be able to attain higher yields of over 40 tonnes per hectare without any chemical spray and other agricultural practices.
According to Dr Magembe, the conventional potato variety is susceptible to late blight that results in low yields. Globally, late blight leads to annual potato losses of between 15 and 30 per cent.
“This is the most devastating disease causing yield losses of up to 70 per cent. To control the disease, farmers usually apply chemicals, which are expensive and populate the environment in addition to having a negative impact on their health since they rarely use the correct Personal Protective Equipment when applying the chemicals,” explains Dr Magembe.
Dr Magembe notes that they are working on a regulatory report to be submitted to National Biosafety Authority, the regulator, to consider the variety for release. Upon approval, the variety will then undergo National Performance Trials by the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service. The researchers hope the GM potato variety will be commercialised in the next two years.
Biotech crops have generated debate among the proponents and opponents. Proponents say biotechnology offers opportunities to develop crop varieties that address challenges facing production. But opponents have expressed concern about the human and environmental safety of the technology.
The Environment and Lands court recently dismissed a petition by Law Society of Kenya challenging the government’s decision to lift Genetically Modified foods. This is after the Cabinet approved the lifting of the 10-year ban on GMO foods in the country last year on October 3.
In 2012, the government through the Health ministry banned imports of GMO food over safety concerns, riding on the now discredited Gilles-Eric Seralini publication that linked genetically modified foods to cancer. But the ministry has stated that the ban will be lifted on a case-by-case basis.
In December 2019, the Cabinet approved commercial farming of BT cotton, partially lifting a ban on GMOs that has been in place since 2012. The government seeks to have at least 200,000 acres under commercial BT cotton in a bid to revive the collapsed local textile sector.
