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WWW.POTATOGROWER.COM 95 Why Milestone? 1. 1. Over 50 years of hard earned Over 50 years of hard earned Over 50 years of hard earned experience! 2. experience experience 2. 2. Uniform, consistent, and blocky seed piece! 3. seed piece seed piece 3. 3. Attention to detail! 4. 4. 4. Knowledgeable and competent Knowledgeable Knowledgeable support! Knowledgeable Knowledgeable support support! 395 W Hwy 39, Blackfoot ID Phone: 208-785-4285, Toll Free: 800-574-1852 Fax: 208-785-1060 info@milestone-equipment.com www.milestone-equipment.com Potato Seed Cutters Owned and Manufactured in the U.S.A 162586Milest12h.indd 1 11/17/16 12:21 PM However, using conventional breeding techniques, deploying genetic resistance is long and laborious. Sources of new plant resistance genes are difficult to find. Jones's team investigated the wild potato relative Solanum americanum, which carries several resistance genes, and by using the new technique, rapidly isolated a new resistance gene, Rpi-amr3. SMRT RenSeq makes the process of finding, defining and introducing genetic resistance faster and easier by combining two sequencing techniques: "RenSeq" (Resistance gene Enrichment SEQuencing) and "SMRT" (Single-Molecule Real-Time sequencing). The technique consists of two primary steps: 1. A subset of DNA sequences are captured using a method that selects for long DNA molecules that carry a sequence commonly associated with resistance genes. 2. These DNA molecules are sequenced multiple times to make sure the code is determined as accurately as possible using the novel long-read SMRT technology. The technique results in a very reliable DNA sequence for each candidate resistance gene. Genetic analysis of the results enabled the team to define which of these candidate genes were linked to blight resistance. Following this, the SMRT RenSeq method also enabled the team to identify and define the parts of the genome that regulate the resistance genes. Several candidates were introduced into a model species, of which one—Rpi-amr3—successfully provided broad-spectrum blight resistance. Led by David Baker, the TGAC Platforms & Pipelines Group performed the sequencing. "Engineering disease resistance genes into crops is a continuous battle to stay one step ahead of new strains of disease," says Jones. "Scientists are constantly investigating how to speed up this process. This new technique significantly reduces the time and cost of isolating candidate resistance genes, and has great potential for application to other desirable traits in potato and in other crops." "Our cultivated potatoes and tomatoes are highly susceptible to blight, as thousands of years of selective breeding have brought with it a huge loss in genetic variation," says TGAC project lead Matt Clark. "However, within closely related wild species, it is possible to find natural resistance to such pathogens. Finding and using disease resistance genes from closely related plants is critical in the arms race against crop pathogens. This technique accelerates the process, and we hope it will help reduce crop losses to disease." Jones's work was funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and the Gatsby Charitable Foundation. Jonathan Jones and his research team developed the SMRT RenSeq technique to more quickly isolate and defi ne disease resistance genes.