Date of Report: July
9, 1998
Name and Address of Organization:
Cornell University, 245 Roberts Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853
Name and Title of the Contact
Person: Dr. Ronnie Coffman, Chairman Executive Committee,
Associate Dean for Research Director of Ag Expt. Station
Name and Title of Person Preparing
Report: Dr. K.V. Raman, Executive Director
Time period covered in report:
July 1, 1997 to June 30, 1998
Estimated Date
of Project Completion: December 30, 2002
________________________________________________________________
1. Progress July 1, 1997 -
June 30, 1998
Narrative description of
goals met; problems; changes made:
Potato Late Blight, is the world's
worst agricultural disease. This disease, including new virulent
strains, is cutting global potato production by 15 percent.
In developing countries, the disease is causing $2.5 billion
in production losses yearly and an additional $750 million
in fungicide costs each year. Both Canada and the U.S. have
seen lower crop yields because of the disease, which spreads
rapidly--mainly by air-borne spores. The disease can also
spread through shipment of infected tubers.
The work of the Cornell-Eastern Europe-Mexico
(CEEM) International Collaborative Project in Potato Late
Blight Control aims to lessen the problem of Late Blight through
selected activities in Eastern Europe, Mexico, India and the
USA. This is achieved in close cooperation with other well
known potato research organizations. These are the: 1) the
Mexico based International Cooperative Program For Potato
Late Blight (PICTIPAPA, A.C); 2) Global Initiative on Late
Blight (GILB), a consortium of potato researchers in Africa,
Asia, and Latin America, and national programs, backed by
industrialized country institutions.; 3) the Polish Mlochow
Research Center, Plant Breeding and Acclimatization Institute
(IHAR); 4) the N.I. Vavilov All-Russian Research Institute
of Plant Industry (VIR) in Russia; 5) the India based Central
Potato Research Institute (CPRI); and 6) Moscow State University.
During the 12-month period from July
1, 1997 to June 30, 1998 significant accomplishments were
made in: 1) project implementation; 2) agreements
for strategic partnerships for research and technology transfer;
3)conferences/field days ; 4) training & consultancies;
and 5) publications.
________________________________________________________________
1.1 At Cornell, Prof. Plaisted's group
has developed an advanced selection NY121 (Q237-25) with Late
Blight resistance for use in an integrated pest management(IPM)
program. This selection has a high level of resistance to
four races of potato cyst nematode, scab, and to Potato Virus
Y. Tuber appearance, freedom from internal tuber defects,
and yield are acceptable for consideration for commercial
production. This clone is now in the in vitro plantlet program
of NY foundation seed. In three years sufficient foundation
seed will be available for grower evaluation. In the meantime,
40-200 bushels of seed will be produced for small trials and
demonstrations. Twenty-nine clones with NY121 as a parent
will be tested to their first exposure to Late Blight. Six
progenies with 127 clones are in the third year stage of selection.
At the second year stage are 738 clones with potential for
Late Blight resistance developed by Dr. Sieczka in Poland.
Seeds of new hybrid combinations of NY121, Stirling from Scotland
and two USDA resistant clones were produced this past winter.
Seeds from eleven crosses produced in 1996-97 are being sown
to produce new seedling tuber families. These should produce
about 4000 seeds from 18 crosses among neo-tuberosum parents
selected for Late Blight and virus resistance. This is the
same source of resistance present in NY121. It represents
a completely novel origin of general resistance.
1.2 Prof. Bill Fry's group conducted
research on the basic biology of the Potato Late Blight fungus,
analyses of host plant resistance in breeding lines and transgenic
potatoes, and Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) analysis of Late
Blight resistance in potatoes. Results from such trials are
helping potato programs worldwide to develop a low input environmentally
friendly IPM program for Late Blight control.
1.3 Prof. Elmer Ewing's group selected
166 clones from the in vitro collection at Cornell.
This population was tested, and proved negative for all the
important viruses. Mexican and US phytosanitary certificates
were obtained and materials were shipped in test tubes to
Toluca, Mexico, for field evaluation during the summer of
1998. Data from such trials will aid in development of resistant
materials. CEEM, in collaboration with PICTIPAPA, assisted
with the logistics.
1.4 Profs. Bill Fry, Greg May and Elmer
Ewing have started work on a new project titled "Engineering
Quantitative Resistance to Late Blight Via BIBAC Technology
for use in integrated crop management programs." This
project uses the current knowledge in molecular biology to
move large DNA fragments to encode a durable form of Late
Blight resistance.
1.5 Dr. Niklaus Grünwald, CEEM
Research Associate based in Toluca, Mexico has managed to
collect 350 isolates of the fungus that are now stored in
liquid nitrogen and in culture Rye Agar medium. He is now
in the process of assessing the genetic structure of populations
of the pathogens in different geographic regions of Mexico.
A field trial contrasting two forecasting systems (BLITECAST
and TOMCAST) with weekly and twice-weekly sprays was conducted.
Both forecasting systems performed poorly. For the 1998 season
additional forecasting, oospore and aerial dispersal patterns
of sporangia are planned. Assistance was provided to several
field trials conducted by PICTIPAPA A.C.
1.6 In Russia, Prof. Yuri Dyakov, in
collaboration with Prof. Bill Fry at Cornell, collected 150
isolates of the potato and tomato fungus. These phenotypes
varied in their frequency to mating type, and resistance to
the fungicide Metalxyl. In Siberia, 70 isolates from Sacchalin
and 22 isolates from Omsk have the same phenotype for mating
type (A1) and were resistant to Metalaxyl fungicide. In the
Habarovsk region 25 isolates had the mating type (A2) and
were moderately resistant to Metalaxyl. Such information is
aiding potato farmers to develop more effective methods of
control.
1.7 In Poland, Dr. Ewa Zimnoch-Guzowska
and co-workers exchanged seed with Cornell's potato program.
True seed of family Serrana x Q 237-25 were sent to Poland.
Three hundred seeds were sown and from these 200 seedlings
were propagated for trials. Cornell received two IHAR's families:
PW 380 x PW 375 and PW 377 x PW 373 for further evaluation
and use in breeding. With CEEM and USDA/FAS assistance, 50
potato genotypes, including three diploid and three tetraploid
families collected from Poland and other European countries,
were evaluated and preliminary results indicated that some
genotypes had high resistance level. The same materials are
now being evaluated at Cornell and at USDA-Aberdeen, Idaho.
Help is also being provided to Russian scientists from VIR
for training and screening for disease resistance. Work on
the rescue of VIR's accessions from old true seeds has begun.
Out of 126 accessions sown 64 have germinated. These are being
propagated for tuber production and for further use in breeding.
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________________________________________________________________
1.8 CEEM is helping the International
Agriculture Program (IAP) at Cornell to develop a partnership
agreement with the Indian Council for Agricultural Research
(ICAR) for collaboration in Potato Late Blight and areas of
mutual interest. This memorandum of understanding should be
finalized soon.
1.9 CEEM and the Central Potato Research
Institute (CPRI) in India are in negotiation to organize a
special scientific symposium on Potato Late Blight as a part
of the World Conference on Potato, Dec. 1999, in Delhi, India.
1.10 Agreements were finalized with
IAP at Cornell to develop a summer internship program for
undergraduate training on Late Blight control in Toluca, Mexico
( See training section).
1.11 Agreement with IHAR in Poland
and VIR in Russia was finalized for hosting the first International
Field Day on Potatoes, July 16-22, 1998. (See conference section).
1.12 Agreement was
reached with GILB for participation of selected CEEM scientists
in the Potato Late Blight conference in Ecuador, March 1999.
________________________________________________________________
1.13 An International Field Day on
Potato Late Blight Control, held in Toluca, Mexico August
25, 1997 in collaboration with PICTIPAPA, A.C. and the Mexican
National Institute for research in Forestry and Agriculture
(INIFAP), demonstrated progress on all aspects related to
the control of Late Blight. Five Cornell staff plus an additional
20 persons representing USDA, the private sector, and other
public sector institutions participated. A similar field day
is planned for late August 1998.
1.14 Joint meetings of the CEEM Executive
Committee, the PICTIPAPA, A.C. board and the GILB Steering
Committee were held at the World Bank, Washington, D.C., January
16-17, 1998. Networking, collaboration, joint projects, publications
and coordination aspects for enhancing the Global Late Blight
Network were discussed and procedures for fostering research
and technology transfer were formulated.
1.15 CEEM, the International Potato
Center(CIP) and the National Program of Ecuador, with funding
support from US Agency for International Development (USAID),
organized a workshop in Lima, Peru Dec. 2-4, 1997 on "Integrated
management of Potato Late Blight: simulation and GIS as tools
to design agro-ecosystem-specific management strategies."
Substantial research on Late Blight epidemiology under temperate
conditions has been conducted by Prof. Fry and his group at
Cornell. This group over the years has developed and utilized
a computer program that simulates the processes involved in
the disease cycle ("the LB simulator"). The "linkage
grants" program of USAID offered the opportunity for
Cornell and CIP researchers to get together to coordinate
and stimulate work in this area.
1.16 Eight Professors from Cornell
will participate in the first International Field Day on Potato
Improvement in Poland and Russia being organized by CEEM in
collaboration with IHAR in Poland and VIR in Russia. Over
70 delegates representing the public and private sectors have
agreed to participate. This activity will further promote
potato research and technology transfer in Eastern Europe.
________________________________________________________________
Training and Consultancies
1.17 CEEM in collaboration with PICTIPAPA
A.C. organized in Toluca, Mexico Dec. 9, 1997, a one-day workshop
on theory and application of isozyme electrophoresis for 10
Mexican scientists working in the public and private sectors.
Information from this workshop is helping with the use of
molecular tools for disease detection.
1.18 An internship program for summer
training of Cornell undergraduates at the Toluca, Mexico site
has been developed. This year there are two interns who are
working under the guidance of the Mexico based CEEM Research
Associate.
1.19 A six month fellowship,
from May, 4 to October 24,1998, was awarded to Dr. Alexei N.
Smirnov, from Moscow State University, to work in Mexico on
the analysis of field collected oospores of Late Blight fungus.
Information generated will contribute to better understanding
of the basic biology of the disease causing pathogen.
1.20 A one week consultancy,
August 5-12, 1997, was provided by CEEM to Dr. Ewa Zimnoch-
Guzowska at IHAR, Poland, to visit two key institutions in Russia:
the N.I. Vavilov All Russian Research Institute of Plant Industry
(VIR) at St. Petersburg and the All Russian Potato Research
Institute at Korenevo (PRI). Essential information on the current
status of potato germplasm , and Late Blight research were gathered.
This information has been used in the development of specific
projects for implementation in Russia.
1.21 A workshop for 10 Industry representatives
who are supporting CEEM is planned for the third week of August
1998 in Toluca, Mexico. The focus will be on demonstrating
molecular tools, screening methods and forecasting systems
for disease control.
1.22 A four month fellowship was awarded
to Dr. N. Zateyeya from VIR-Russia to work at IHAR in Poland
from Mar. 4 - Apr. 30 and then from Jun. 20 - Aug. 20, 1998.
She is being trained in application of various screening methods
to select potato genotypes with resistance to the disease.
1.23 A one week workshop
for a first group of seven Russian participants was organized
in Poland June 13-20, 1998, on potato breeding with special
attention to resistance against Late Blight and virus diseases.
Participants selected were from VIR, St. Petersburg and the
breeding center at Korenevo.
________________________________________________________________
1.24 The internet home page of CEEM
continues to be updated with new information.
1.25 CEEM was one of the supporters
for the publication titled "Re-emergence of Potato and
Tomato Late Blight in the United States" written by William
E. Fry and Stephen B. Goodwin and published in the December
1997 issue of Plant Disease. Several copies of this
article have been mailed to our collaborators.
1.26 CEEM researchers
presented papers at the meetings of the American Phytopathology
Society, the American Potato Association and in the conference
organized by the Cornell Eastern Europe Program in Poznan, Poland.
As a result of the presentation in Poznan, a new project of
cooperation between countries of Central and Eastern Europe
is being considered, "Breeding Research on Resistance to
Late Blight in Potato." Several major articles appeared
in newspapers such as USA Today and the LA Times.
________________________________________________________________
Future Work
- Narrative description of goals to be met, anticipated
results and impact
3.1 By December 1998 we hope to have
completed the funding agreements with McCain Foods of Canada
and the Toyota Foundation in Japan.
3.2 Training programs involving Russian,
Polish and Mexican scientists will be implemented during 1998
and 1999. A group of Russian potato researchers will be trained
in Poland. Individual researchers from these regions will
continue to be trained at Cornell, in Mexico and in Poland.
3.3 The internet home page on CEEM
will be continuously updated and advertised for use by the
general public and interested Late Blight workers.
3.4 Plans will be finalized for organizing
a scientific conference on Late Blight during April 1999 in
Quito, Ecuador and Dec. 1999 in India.
3.5 Specific work plans within the
projects funded for Cornell-Russia and Poland will be implemented
during 1998. This may include finalizing a training manual,
exchange of germplasm, field testing and training
3.6 Project participants will continue
to publish their important findings in reputed international
journals. Such publications are expected to create increased
public awareness and support for Late Blight research.
3.7 All other pending agreements for
work with collaborators will be finalized by the second semester
of 1998-1999.
3.8 Logistics related to purchase of
equipment, such as growth chambers, generators and other research
equipment for use in Toluca, Mexico will be finalized by the
end of 1998.
3.9 CEEM will continue to assist facilitating
communications and reporting for the CRDF Cornell-Russia collaborative
project.
3.10 Please refer to
the 11 points listed in the January 1997 Grant Report for anticipated
results and impact (these have not changed).
