Yeping Han

Author    Correspondence author
Biological Evidence, 2025, Vol. 15, No.   
Received: 01 Jan., 1970    Accepted: 01 Jan., 1970    Published: 14 May, 2026

Late blight of potato is caused by pathogenic oocytes Phytophthora infestans. Long-term reliance on fungicides for control not only incurs high costs but also brings environmental and health risks. To achieve long-lasting and stable resistance, this study analyzed the disease resistance performance of transgenic potatoes introduced with wild Solanaceous plant resistance genes (Rpi genes) under field conditions in different regions and over multiple years. Although materials carrying a single Rpi gene can delay the onset of the disease to a certain extent, their resistance is easily broken through by pathogenic bacteria. By achieving the superposition of multiple Rpi genes with different sources and complementary recognition effectors through genetic engineering, stable, broad-spectrum, and even complete resistance to late blight can be demonstrated under natural infection conditions, and no significant resistance attenuation has been observed in multi-season trials. The study also combined the molecular detection and field resistance performance of the Rpi gene in Chinese potato germplasm resources to conduct a risk assessment of transgenic disease-resistant potatoes from aspects such as pathogen evolution, ecological security and gene flow. The transgenic and cis-gene breeding strategies with multi-gene superposition provide an important technical path for the sustainable prevention and control of late blight in potatoes.