British scientists have developed genetically modified potatoes that are resistant to blight.
A three-year trial has shown that these potatoes can thrive despite being exposed to late onset blight, according to research published in the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B.
EU approval is needed before commercial cultivation of this GM crop can take place.
Blight, a fungus-like organism that thrives in damp and humid conditions, is the primary threat to six million tonnes of potatoes produced in the UK each year.Farmers often need to spray up to 15 times a season to protect against the disease.
As part of an EU-wide investigation into the potential for biotechnology to protect crops, scientists at the John Innes Centre and the Sainsbury Laboratory in Norwich began a trial with blight-resistant potatoes in 2010.The researchers added a gene to Desiree potatoes, from a wild South American relative, that helps the plant turn on its natural defences to fight off blight.
The scientists involved said that the use of techniques to add extra genes was crucial in developing a plant resistant to the blight.
Only 600 of the GM potato plants have been grown, but the scientists have had to spend £40,000 to protect them over the three years of the trial.
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