Simplot asks USDA for deregulation of their GM Innate potatoes

The J.R Simplot Company has petitioned the USDA to deregulate their new genetically engineered Innate™ Potatoes and the public comment period has just been opened up on that petition.

The "Biofortified Blog"presents an extensive Q&A with Haven Baker, Vice President of Plant Sciences at J.R. Simplot Company highlighting these genetically modified potatoes, their properties and details of the technology that has been used to produce them.

Highlights:

"Simplot’s Innate™ technologies allow researchers to isolate genetic elements from any plant genome, rearrange them, or link them together in desired permutations, and introduce them back into the genome. Inserting an extra copy of a gene into the potato activates a self-defense mechanism known as RNA interference, which silences the genes related to expression of black spot bruise, asparagine, and reducing sugars in tubers.

The inserted genes come from cultivated potatoes or wild potatoes (a group of related plant species that are sexually-compatible with potatoes). We incorporate no foreign genes, no antibiotic resistance markers, and no vector backbone sequences, into the plant genome."

"We transformed five different varieties including three popular varieties – Ranger Russet, Russet Burbank, and Atlantic – and two proprietary chipping varieties. These varieties each involved transformation for two traits (the genes related to expression of black spot bruise &asparagine, and the genes related to reducing sugars in tubers) for a total of ten events, which were done separately."

PotatoPro highly recommends everyone to read the entire Q&A. You can find it at: