The UK has approved its first precision-bred potato, moving PiperPlus closer to market. The disease-resistant Maris Piper was developed to combat late blight, Potato Virus Y and Potato Leafroll Virus while reducing reliance on fungicides and insecticides.
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Regulatory approval moves a disease-resistant Maris Piper capable of combating late blight and two major potato viruses closer to commercial production.
The United Kingdom has approved its first precision-bred potato, advancing the development of a disease-resistant Maris Piper that could significantly reduce the need for fungicides and insecticides.
The potato, named PiperPlus, was developed by Professor Jonathan Jones and his team at The Sainsbury Laboratory (TSL). It has built-in resistance to late blight, Potato Virus Y (PVY) and Potato Leafroll Virus (PLRV) — three of the most damaging diseases affecting potato production.
The approval follows decades of research by the Jonathan Jones Group into the genes that enable plants to resist disease, according to a press release.
Following a scientific assessment by the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment, the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) confirmed that two PiperPlus lines meet the legal definition of a precision-bred organism under the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023.
Under the legislation, a plant qualifies as precision bred only if its genetic changes could have occurred naturally or through conventional breeding.
“I’m delighted to see that after dedicated and extensive effort from my outstanding team of scientific colleagues at The Sainsbury Laboratory, supported by grants from BBSRC, we’ve identified two potato lines that have been approved by DEFRA for a marketing notice under the Precision Breeding Act,” Jones says.
“It has also been extremely encouraging to see the EU catching up by introducing its own NGT1 regulatory framework. We believe PiperPlus will become a flagship example of what’s possible through precision breeding, showing how these technologies can reduce fungicide use, improve sustainability, and deliver real benefits to the public.”
Strengthening the Potato’s Immune System
Rather than relying solely on chemical crop protection, the researchers strengthened Maris Piper’s natural immune system using resistance genes from wild potato relatives.
These genes encode immune receptors that recognize pathogen molecules and activate the plant’s natural defences.
Late blight, caused by Phytophthora infestans, remains one of the greatest challenges facing UK potato growers. Because most commercial varieties are susceptible, farmers typically apply preventive fungicides throughout the growing season — sometimes as many as 15 times annually.
PiperPlus is designed to reduce that dependence. Fewer applications could lower production and labour costs, reduce tractor journeys and associated carbon emissions, limit soil compaction and help protect beneficial soil fungi and microbial communities.
Tests comparing the two potatoes showed that late blight spread through a susceptible Maris Piper tuber following direct inoculation. In PiperPlus, however, the added Rpi resistance genes enabled the potato’s cells to detect the pathogen and activate an immune response that stopped it from spreading.
Resistance to Major Potato Viruses
Resistance to PVY and PLRV could provide additional benefits for commercial and seed potato production.
Viral loads can increase with each successive potato generation, causing progressively more severe disease symptoms. It is therefore essential that seed potatoes — the small tubers used to establish the next crop — remain free from viral infection.
Most British seed potatoes are currently produced in Scotland, where cooler conditions generally result in lower virus pressure. Virus-resistant varieties could allow more seed potato production to take place in England, reducing transportation requirements, costs and associated emissions.
Because aphids transmit both PVY and PLRV, PiperPlus could also reduce the need for insecticide applications intended to limit virus transmission.
Further Approval Required
PiperPlus must still receive regulatory approval from the Food Standards Agency before it can enter the market. The agency will review compositional and safety data intended to demonstrate that the precision-bred potatoes are as safe to eat as conventional Maris Piper potatoes.
According to Jones, bringing a new potato variety to market typically takes at least five years. This reflects the time needed to complete variety registration, secure inclusion on the National List of potato varieties and produce sufficient quantities of seed potatoes.
Although the Precision Breeding Act currently applies only to the cultivation of precision-bred crops in England, products grown under the legislation could be made available to consumers throughout the UK.
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