Norwich, Norfolk, United Kingdom
February 2010

Source: PBL newsletter

PBL and J R Simplot Company recently signed a commercial licence agreement for genetic discoveries linked to the development of late blight resistant potatoes. The late blight resistant genes were isolated at the Sainsbury Laboratory by Jonathan Jones and co-workers in collaboration with Wageningen University. Late blight is a devastating disease for potato growers causing annual crop losses of several billion dollars. These new late blight resistance genes now offer a real possibility to develop potato lines with long lasting resistance to the late blight fungus.

The J R Simplot Company, a privately held agribusiness firm headquartered in Boise, Idaho, responsibly brings earth's resources to life with an integrated portfolio that includes phosphate mining, fertilizer manufacturing, farming, ranching and cattle production, food processing, food brands and other enterprises related to agriculture. Simplot's major operations are in the US, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand and China, with products marketed in more than 40 countries worldwide. For more information visit www.simplot.com.

To licence these late-blight resistance genes, please contact Dr Lars von Borcke (lars@pbltechnology.com).

Website: http://www.pbltechnology.com

Published: February 23, 2010