All over the world the whitefly (Aleyrodes proletella) is a big problem in the open ground tomato cultivation. Researchers of Wageningen UR have together with a number of partners found resistance genes against whitefly in a wild relative. Researchers hope to market cultivated resistant tomatoes within two years, where the use of chemical protection will no longer be necessary. On 12 September Syarifin Firdaus hopes to obtain his doctor's degree at Wageningen University with his research to identify whitefly resistance in tomato.
The whitefly damages the tomato plant and fruit quite extensively and is an important source of the distribution of plant virus. In glasshouses the whitefly is attacked in an organic way. But in open ground cultivation, with also for humans poisonous chemicals, spraying is required every week in order to limit the damage. The whitefly does not take long to become less susceptible to pesticides.
Firdaus has requested seeds from various gene keeping organisations of cross fertilizing tomato varieties and has tested these on their resistance to whitefly.The thirty varieties which can be cross fertilized were tested on the survival of whiteflies on the plant and the number of eggs laid during a period of five days. The result of this research was one variety capable of cross fertilization, which is absolutely resistant against whitefly: a wild tomato from the Galapagos islands.
In this resistant tomato researchers via DNA research found two genes which are responsible for the resistance. Within two years the seed improvement company involved hopes to be in a position to market a resistant tomato by including these genes in varieties of culture tomatoes.
The resistance was also worked in China, Indonesia and Thailand and this wild tomato will also be cross-fertilized with the local tomato varieties, after which protection means for whitefly are no longer required.
The resistance was also worked in China, Indonesia and Thailand and this wild tomato will also be cross-fertilized with the local tomato varieties, after which protection means for whitefly are no longer required.
Wageningen UR cooperated with the following partners: Enza Zaden, Enkhuizen East West, Thailand and Ewindo, Indonesia. The work of Fidaus was part of two projects: ‘Indosol’ financed by the Koninklijke Academie van Wetenschappen (KNAW) and ‘Indowhitefly’ financed by the developing Markets program of the Expertisecentrum Internationaal Onderzoek and Innovatie of Agentschap NL.
Source: Wageningen UR
Source: Wageningen UR
