About the Author
John Niederhauser received his Ph.D. from Cornell University in 1943. His first position was as a USDA Plant Pathologist in New York; in 1945 he was appointed as Assistant Professor of Plant Pathology at Cornell. In 1947 Niederhauser moved to the Rockefeller Foundation Mexican Agricultural Program, where he worked on corn, wheat, and bean production for 15 years. During this time he also began his potato work, which would eventually develop into an international program on its own merit. Niederhauser is now an adjunct professor at the University of Arizona, Tucson, and frequently serves as an international consultant on food production issues. In 1990 Niederhauser received the World Food Prize for his work with potatoes. His steadfast pursuit of improvements for Third World farmers has been a constant of his career. Two significant contributions are the establishment of the JANE Endowment to support Third World scientists, and the establishment and support of PICTIEPAPA. His pursuit of Mexican land-race potatoes with blight resistance and the new cooperation within the North American continent can be the basis of new integrated strategies for late blight management and are the major purpose for PICTIPAPA.
Potato Late Blight
and the Future of the Potato
in North America
John Niederhauser
University of Arizona
Tucson, AZ
Since the outbreak of potato late blight 150 years ago, this disease has remained a primary problem in potato production throughout the world. Control by the use of fungicides has become a standard procedure in most important potato production regions, including North America.
Today the potato industry is confronted by a new threat; the widespread occurrence of the A2 race of the pathogen, Phytophthora infestans. This new race has been responsible not only for earlier and more severe annual late blight attacks, but for the appearance of new strains of the pathogen that are resistant to some widely used fungicides.
These developments have evoked an urgent response from the potato community, including potato farmers, chemical companies, and research scientists. Here are a few examples: (1) Potato farmers are applying both old and new fungicides in more intense schedules and are giving greater attention to other integrated control measures such as the use of blight-free seed. (2) The chemical industry has launched an intensive search for more effective fungicides, singly or in combination, which can be integrated with other measures for late blight control, and (3) Scientists have broadened programs to give greater emphasis to research on durable blight resistance (both in foliage and in tubers), and on the changes in the etiology of the late blight disease, provoked by the potential role of the sexual oospore.
Looking ahead into the next century, there are some exciting predictions for future developments in the potato industry.
1. More new potato varieties will be genetically engineered, combining valuable characteristics (such as resistance to late blight) with the acceptable standards set by the consumer, both for the processed potato product and for the fresh tuber.
2. Most of the new varieties will be under breeders' rights.
3. There will be more production under rainfall, as water competition and shortages restrict some irrigation areas. A durable resistance to late blight will be essential.
4. The use of fungicides and herbicides will be reduced, partly because of improved integrated disease management practices, and partly because of growing environmental concerns (whether justified or not) . A durable resistance to late blight will facilitate this trend.
5. There will be an expanding internationalization of the potato industry in trade and processing ventures, in seed production, in technologic cooperation, etc. The potato industry must keep up with the competition.
The future of the potato in North America will depend on how effectively each of these initiatives can be coordinated in a cooperative effort to solve problems of mutual interest. The potato late blight problem is a logical vehicle to launch this new strategy, since the necessary components are in place in the United States, Canada, and Mexico .
In Mexico, PICTIPAPA (International Cooperative Potato Late Blight Program) has been established, and is designed to promote international cooperation in several specific late blight research projects of mutual interest to the participants. PICTIPAPA is based and financed in Mexico where there are some unique natural resources to utilize in such cooperative projects on potato late blight: (1) A population of native wild potato species that has been utilized as the primary source of blight resistance in potato breeding programs all over the world. (2) The place of origin of the potato late blight pathogen, P. infestans, where the most variable population of this fungus exists in nature, and where the most reliable field testing can be conducted for a durable resistance to late blight.
In both the United States and Canada there is a strong commitment in government, industrial, and research sectors to control potato late blight in a practical, environmentally benign economic program. A well-defined cooperative program involving the United States, Canada, and Mexico, could be of great mutual benefit with each participant making effective contributions in the areas where it has a comparative advantage.
The North American Potato Late Blight Workshop can make a vital contribution to this International cooperative effort. Let it be our goal to discuss, define, and launch late blight projects of mutual interest and importance. Only in this way will the long range solutions be more promptly reached, and equally important, by means of a cost-efficient strategy.
TIZON TARDIO Y EL FUTURO DE LA PAPA EN NORTE AMERICA
John S. Neiderhauser
Desde el brote de tizon tardio hace 150 anos, esta enfermedad ha permanecido como un problema primario en la produccion de la papa a traves del mundo. El control de esta enfermedad con el uso de fungicidas se ha constituido en un procedimiento standard en las regiones mas importantes de produccion de papa, incluyendo Norte America.
Al presente la industria de la papa esta confrontando una nueva amenaza, la ocurrencia de la raza A2 del patogeno Phytophthora infestans que esta muy diseminado. Esta nueva raza ha sido responsable no solamente de un ataque temprano y muy severo de tizon tardio, debido a la presencia de un nuevo estirpe del patogeno que es muy resistente a algunos de los fungicidas usados en forma muy amplia.
Estos acontecimientos ha provocado una respuesta urgente de la comunidad de la papa, incluyendo los agricultores, companias quimicas, y cientificos de investigacion. Aqui tenemos unos pocos ejemplos: 1) los agricultores estan aplicando tanto los fungicidas nuevos como los viejos con intervalos de aplicacion mas intensa, y estan prestando mucha atencion a medidas de control integrado, como el uso de semilla libre de tizon tardio; 2) la industria quimica tiene lanzado una investigacion intensiva de fungidas mas efectivos, solos o en combinacion, los cuales pueden ser integrados con otras medidas de control de tizon tardio; y 3) los cientificos tienen amplios programas con mucho emfasis en la investigacion de resistencia duradera a tizon tardio ( tanto al foliage como a los tuberculos), y sobre los cambios etiologicos de la enfermedad de tizon tardio, provocados por las oosporas sexuales que tienen un rol potencial de expansion.
Mirando hacia el futuro, dentro del proximo centenio, existiran algunas prediciones exitantes sobre el desarrollo de la industria de la papa:
1. Muchas nevas variedades de papa van a ser manipulados a traves de la ingeneria genetica, combinando valuables caracteristicas (tales como resistenca a tizon tardio) con un conjunto aceptable de standard tanto para los procesadores de productos de papa como para tuberculos frescos.
2. Muchas de las nuevas variedades van ha estar bajo juridiccion de los mejoradores.
3. Va ha existir mas produccion bajo condiciones de lluvia, debido a la competencia y deficit de agua se restringiran algunas areas bajo irrigacion. Resistencia duradera a tizon tardio va ha ser esencial.
4. El uso de fungicidas y herbicidas se reduciran, en parte debido a un mejoramiento de las practicas de manejo integrado de las enfermedades, y en parte debido a las consecuencias del medio ambiente (sea o no justificado). Una resistencia duradera a tizon tardio va ha facilitar esta tendencia.
5. La internacionalizacion de la industria de la papa se va ha expandir. En convenios y riesgos de elaboracion, en la produccion de papa, en cooperacion tecnologica, etc. La industria de la papa debe mantenerse con la competencia.
El futuro de la papa en Norte America va ha depender de como cada una de estas iniciativas pueden ser coordinadas efectivamente en un esfuerzo cooperativo para resolver problemas de interes mutuo. El problema de tizon tardio es un vehiculo logico para lanzar estas nuevas estrategias, una vez que los componentes necesarios estan en los EEUU, Canada y Mexico.
En Mexico, PICTIPAPA (Cooperativa Internacional del Programa del Tizon Tardio) ha sido establecido, y esta designado para promover una cooperacion internacional en muchos projectos de investigacion sobre tizon tardio de interes mutuo para los participantes. PICTIPAPA esta asentado y financiado en Mexico, donde existe condiciones unicas de recursos naturales ha ser utilizados en estos projectos cooperativos de tizon tardio:
1) Una poblacion nativa de especies silvestres de papas que han estado siendo utilizados como primer recurso de resistencia a tizon tardio en programas de mejoramiento de papa en todo el mundo.
2) El lugar de origen del patogeno de tizon tardio de la papa,
P. infestans, donde existe la poblacion mas variable de este hongo en la naturaleza, y donde las pruebas de campo de mayor confiabilidad pueden ser conducidos en busca de resistencia duradera ha tizon tardio.
En ambos, EEUU y Canada hay un fuerte conpenetracion en el gobierno, industria y sectores de investigacion para controlar tizon tardio a traves de un programa practico, economico y un medio ambiente benigno. Un programa cooperativo bien definido involucrando EEUU, Canada, y Mexico, podria ser de benefio mutuo, con la participacion de cada uno realizando contribuciones efectivas en las areas donde existe ventajas comparativas.
El trabajo taller de tizon tardio en Norte America puede ser una contribucion vital a este esfuerzo de cooperacion internacional. En esta reunion, va ha ser nuestra meta la discusion, definir, y lanzar el projecto de tizon tardio como de interes mutuo e importancia. Solamente de esta manera van ha ser alcanzadas soluciones rapidas de largo alcance, y de igual importancia, con un significado de una estrategia de costo eficiente.
