Belgium
August 11, 2011

A consortium of Flemish research institutes (UGent, ILVO, VIB and University College Ghent) presented the first results of a Belgian field trial with GM late blight resistant potatoes.

All genetically modified lines present in the trial proved to resist late blight. This proves that the natural resistance genes stemming from wild potato varieties that were introduced into the potatoes, work under Flemish field conditions.

Most of the GM potatoes in the trial stem from Wageningen University & Research Center, but also the late blight resistant GM Fortuna potato of BASF is present in the trial as a positive control.

The trial itself was under a violent attack of activists calling themselves the ''Belgian Field Liberation Movement'' in the end of May of this year, destroying or damaging a total of 15% of the plants in the field. With hard work the researchers were able to reinstall the bulk of the trial, leading to this relevant scientific outcome.

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Beschadigd ggo-aardappelveld in Wetteren levert toch resultaten op (De Standaard)

Website: http://www.europabio.org

Published: August 11, 2011