Environmentally friendly method shows promise in control of devastating potato disease

Environmentally friendly method shows promise in control of devastating potato disease
Author Ramesh R. Vetukuri with plants. Credit: Pruthvi B. Kalyandurg, Poorva Sundararajan, Mukesh Dubey, Farideh Ghadamgahi, Muhammad Awais Zahid, Stephen C. Whisson, and Ramesh R. Vetukuri

Late blight, caused by the fungal-like Phytophthora infestans, is one of the most devastating diseases affecting potato and tomato crop and, most famously, was the cause of the notorious Irish potato famine. Despite years of research, intensive fungicide spraying remains the only effective way to control the pathogen as it is very powerful at overcoming plant resistance. Due to the environmental concerns related to this practice, researchers continue searching for alternative control methods.

One possible alternative involves utilizing a method known as -induced gene silencing to control the pathogen. This method was crafted using double-stranded RNA, which is known to trigger a process that removes similar molecules from recipient cells. Researchers sprayed the double-stranded RNA onto potato leaves infected with P. infestans and found a clear reduction in , showing that spray-induced gene silencing successfully inhibited the development of the disease.

“We showed, for the first time, that spray-induced gene silencing can control late blight,” said Ramesh Vetukuri, a plant pathologist at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences who was involved with this research. “Our study is also the first to indicate that P. infestans sporangia can take up dsRNA from the surroundings and that it efficiently suppresses the expression of target genes.”

Additionally, because this method is not labor intensive and can be applied to most pathogens, it has potential to control many pathogens in an environmentally friendly manner. “We anticipate that using spray-induced gene silencing to control diseases will reduce the usage of chemical pesticides. This technology can also be quickly adapted for new targets,” Vetukuri added.



More information:
Pruthvi B. Kalyandurg et al, Spray-Induced Gene Silencing as a Potential Tool to Control Potato Late Blight Disease, Phytopathology® (2021). DOI: 10.1094/PHYTO-02-21-0054-SC

Provided by
American Phytopathological Society

Citation:
Environmentally friendly method shows promise in control of devastating potato disease (2022, February 11)
retrieved 18 February 2022
from https://phys.org/news/2022-02-environmentally-friendly-method-devastating-potato.html

This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no
part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

Note: This article have been indexed to our site. We do not claim legitimacy, ownership or copyright of any of the content above. To see the article at original source Click Here

Related Posts
Electron Blockbusters: Nobel Prize-Winning Attosecond Movies and the Future of Technology thumbnail

Electron Blockbusters: Nobel Prize-Winning Attosecond Movies and the Future of Technology

Attosecond light pulses help researchers understand the movement of electrons. Credit: Greg Stewart/SLAC National Accelerator LaboratoryThe 2023 Nobel Prize in Physics acknowledges the visualization of ultrafast electron movements using laser pulses. This attosecond-scale research has vast potential, from influencing chemical reactions to advancing electronic technologies.Electrons moving around in a molecule might not seem like the
Read More
What Is a Lagrange Point? thumbnail

What Is a Lagrange Point?

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope will travel to a special spot where the gravity from Earth and the sun is balanced Credit: Matthew Twombly The most ambitious space telescope built to date is about to start peering at the universe through infrared eyes. The $10-billion James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is designed to see farther…
Read More
Winter without snow is coming, scientists warn thumbnail

Winter without snow is coming, scientists warn

This story was originally published by High Country News and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. Across the Central Rockies, it’s been an unseasonably warm, dry year. Denver smashed the record for its latest first measurable winter snow. Colorado ski resorts delayed opening because temperatures were too high to even produce…
Read More
Index Of News
Total
0
Share