Screening Peruvian Potato Species for Resistance to Late Blight Disease

Peru

The Project’s main objective is to identify resistance to late blight in Peruvian potato landraces and wild potato species. The proposed project will involve screening of selected potato varieties for resistance to P. infestans, under greenhouse conditions, evaluation and analysis of the severity of the late blight disease, development of a database with information on phenotypic resistance to late blight, and capacity building/training of local scientists and researchers. It is expected that this project will directly benefit 1,000 farmers and indigenous communities in Peru within the next 5 years. Furthermore, the results of the Project would be used and replicated in breeding programs in other countries in South America, Africa, and Asia and the Caucasus Region in the long term (5 to 10 years).