Performance of Transgenic Potato Containing the Late Blight Resistance Gene RB

Late blight of potato, caused by Phytophthora infestans, is one of the most devastating diseases of potato. A major late blight resistance gene, called RB, previously was identified in the wild potato species Solanum bulbocastanum through map-based cloning. The full-length gene coding sequence, including the open reading frame and promoter, has been integrated into cultivated potato (S. tuberosum) using Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. RB-containing transgenic plants were challenged with P. infestans under optimal late blight conditions in greenhouse experiments. All transgenic lines containing RB exhibited strong foliar resistance. Field-grown transgenic tubers also were tested for resistance to P. infestans. In contrast to the foliar resistance phenotype, RB-containing tubers did not exhibit increased resistance. Two years of field trials were used to ascertain whether the presence of RB had any effect on tuber yield. We were unable to detect any significant effect on tuber size or yield after addition of the resistance gene to several S. tuberosum cultivars.