The same marine bacteria that creates a shimmering glow will be used to shed light on potato diseases at the research centre in Lethbridge, Alta.
Light-emitting genes, originally from marine organisms, will allow scientists to trace a bacteria’s journey into potatoes.
“If we can be aware of where bacteria enters, we can breed resistance into potatoes,” said Debbie Fujimoto, molecular bacteriologist at the centre.
The research begins by inserting the light gene into the bacteria and tracking its course using microscopy.
She said potato seed stock often gets blamed for introducing the bacteria, which might actually come from the environment.
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Recent research has proven that bacteria “talk” to each other through chemical signals to determine if there are enough of them to infect plants.
“We hope to use the light-emitting technology to physically count how many bacteria cells are needed to form the army that mounts a successful attack,” said Fujimoto.
The goal is to help farmers learn more about devastating potato diseases like blackleg, which has the potential to cause as much as $32 million in damage in Alberta alone and can lead to decertification of a grower’s seed stock. The only method of controlling blackleg, which discolors the insides of potatoes, is to bury infected crops.
Fujimoto said this type of research may also be used to study human diseases.
The potato study will be completed by fall.
