Environmental safety assessment of genetically engineered potato resistant to late blight caused by Phytophthora infestans

Development of potato resistant to late blight caused by Phytophthora infestans was carried out by inserting RB genes from wild species potato, Solanum bulbocastanum. The genetically engineered (GE) potato Katahdin SP951 and the hybrid of Atlantic or Granola with Katahdin SP951 have been assessed by the Biosafety Technical Team (BTT) for environmental safety information that included genetic stability, impact on nontarget organisms (other pests and diseases, beneficial soil microorganisms), substantial equivalent on phenotypic characters, and gene flow. The presence of RB gene in four different clonal generations showed stable integration of the gene into the plant genome. Experiment on the effect of the GE potato on pests and other diseases in four confined field trial (CFT) locations showed that the GE potato did not affect to Alternaria solani and Liriomyza as well as other pests found at CFT including potato tuber moth (PTM), aphids, and mites. Research on the effect of GE potato on beneficial soil microorganisms (nitrogen fixing bacteria, phosphate solubilizing bacteria, and soil fungus) showed that GE potato did not affect the microbial population. The GE potato also had no effect on C/N value when compared to non-GE potato. Agronomic equivalence of the GE potato to conventional comparison (non-GE potato) at biosafety containment and CFT showed that the GE Katahdin SP951 is equivalent to non-GE Katahdin and has no potential as a weed. In addition, agronomic equivalence from other studies gave similar results. Information related to the potential for gene transfer was obtained from the data at CFT Lembang and literature studies, and it can be concluded that there was no potential of gene transfer from GE potato at a distance over 10 m. Based on these results, the GE potato was declared environmentally safe by the BTT. The GE potato Katahdin SP951 has obtained environmental safety certificate from the Indonesian Minister of Environment and Forestry.