Institut für Züchtungsforschung an landwirtschaftlichen Kulturen
In the main growing areas for starch potatoes in Germany, the mandatory cultivation of nematode-resistant potato varieties led to a very high selection pressure on the existing nematode populations. In 2014, populations of the Pa3 pathotype of Globodera pallida with altered virulence were described for the first time. The "ASPARA" project aims to investigate and quickly introduce resistances against these aggressive G. pallida nematode populations, identified in wild species in the previous projects "PARES" and "SERAP", into the elite breeding pool in order to develop an effective control strategy. To realize this: First, a control strategy for reducing G. pallida populations should be developed by combining different resistance mechanisms, Second, a rapid reduction in the wild species background should be achieved by speed breeding, and Third, advanced prebreeding material for further use in advanced breeding processes should be developed. The further development of the breeding material, the elucidation of the loci and mechanisms underlying the resistances as well as the investigation of the nematode populations selected on the resistance sources in "ASPARA" will make important contributions to the understanding of this pathosystem and thus to the fight against virulent nematode populations. The establishment of test protocols and capacities also enables rapid adjustment of the breeding material in the event of changed G. pallida virulences. Both significantly increase the competitiveness of German potato breeders in the face of intensified European competition.
Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture
