Research Publications (Food Safety)

WRKY transcription factors (TF) are identified as important regulating plant proteins involved in stress response signaling pathways. Overexpression of these transcription factors in plants improved plant biotic and abiotic stress responses. In this context, we have envisaged transferring a cDNA encoding the grapevine VvWRKY2TF in potato plants. Four transgenic lines were selected (BFW2A, BFW2C, BFW2D, and BFW2F).

The field experiments were conducted in a randomised block design during two consecutive rabi seasons of 2016–17 and 2017–18 to evaluate the effect of botanicals and bio-pesticides on insect and mite pests of potato during the post-rainy season.

Field trials were conducted at the All India Co-ordinated Research Project on Potato, Main Agricultural Research Station, Dharwad, India, for two consecutive years during kharif 2016 and 2017 to evaluate the efficacy of insecticides viz., emamectin benzoate 5 SG @ 0.25 g/l, thiodicarb 75 WP @ 1.00 g/l, diafenthiuron 50 WP @ 1.00 g/l, spinosad 45 SC @ 0.20 ml/l, chlorpyriphos 20 EC @ 2.50 ml/l, chlorfenapyr 10 SC @ 3.00 ml/l, cyantraniliprole 10

Weeds are a major problem in potato production. Two years of trials were conducted to study the efficacy of herbicides and integrated use of mulch with herbicides in controlling weeds and for improving the growth and yield of autumn potato crop at Ludhiana, north-west India, during autumn 2016 and 2017. Each trial had a randomized complete block design with three replicates. There were 11 treatments including weed-free and weedy controls. Uncontrolled weeds caused a yield reduction of 49.7%.

Rimsulfuron is commonly used to control common lambsquarters (Chenopodium album L.) and redroot pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus L.) in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) fields. Comparing rimsulfuron absorption and metabolism patterns in these two weed species with potato could provide crucial information to optimise herbicide application in the field.

Adequate integrated management of potato leaf diseases can have an influence on pathogens which are challenging to control and cause main potato tuber diseases. Deriving from this hypothesis, an experiment was designed to evaluate the efficacy of foliar application of twelve fungicides on late blight in tubers, common scab, black scurf and silver scurf. In the period of 2013 to 2017, the fungicides were equally applied six times in registered doses during the growing seasons.

Marker-assisted selection (MAS) is more efficient with single locus marker methods than with the complex multi-locus AFLPTM system. Therefore, a method is described to convert AFLP markers into sequence characterised amplified region (SCAR) markers using arbitrary short primers that were generated based on AFLP markers linked to potato disease resistance genes.

A potential cause of the dissemination of the potato ring rot bacterium Clavibacter sepedonicus (Cs) is the use of automated seed potato cutters. The present study focuses on the question of whether disinfection practices are sufficient to prevent the transmission of Cs from contaminated machine parts to a new tuber lot.

Acrylamide is an amide-type organic compound formed by the reaction of asparagine with reducing sugars (Maillard reaction) and is classified as a probable human carcinogen (Group 2A) by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

Chemical agricultural inputs (e.g. pesticides and fertilizers) pollute the environment and undermine food safety. In fact, agriculture is in a direct relationship with the environment and farmers’ behaviours have extensive positive or negative impacts on it. Therefore, enhancing farmers’ behaviours to go towards organic farming methods represents a promising approach.

The present study investigated the diversity of culturable rhizobacteria associated with potato (S. tuberosum L.) in Tanzania and assessed their in vitro plant growth-promoting (PGP) activities to deduce their potential as biofertilizers. Potato rhizosphere soil and tuber samples (54 samples in total) were collected from 9 villages in three different agro-ecological regions in Tanzania.

The dissipation behaviour and left-over residues of Hexaconazole fungicide and Lambda-Cyhalothrin pesticide in potato plant and soil were analysed by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS). At fortified levels of 10, 100 and 500 μg/kg, the recoveries of Lambda-Cyhalothrin and Hexaconazole were in the range 81.66–93.25% and 76.11–93.92% with standard deviations of 0.87–8.13% and 0.88–7.68%, respectively.

Phthorimaea operculella occurs in almost all potato-producing states in India and is considered to be a major potato pest in several states. The larva attacks all vegetative parts of the potato, and most economic damage occurs to potato tubers both before harvest in the field and during storage. The tuber damage in storage has been stated to range from 1 to 72.5% in the endemic states. In Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh, up to 100% losses in storage have been reported.

The term ‘quality’ is a complex parameter in the field of potato production, and the desired quality traits depend on the intended use. Important internal quality traits for potatoes are tuber flesh discolouration, dry matter, and starch content. External quality traits include tuber size and shape as well as resistance against mechanical stress during and after harvest. These quality traits are closely interrelated and genetically controlled.