A Group of Researchers of IPB Bred New Potato Cultivar for Processed Potato Industry
In terms of global production, potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is the fourth most important food crop after corn, rice and wheat. Potatoes are produced in large quantities in developed countries. In Indonesia, potatoes become one of the vegetable commodities that have priority development, because it has potential as a supporting plant of food diversification program to meet the nutritional needs of the community. Potatoes are an ideal food substitute because they contain protein, carbohydrates, fats, minerals and vitamins are balanced for the human body. Potato is one food that can be used as food without processed and processed foods. French fries frozen potatoes are a very important processed potato. A lack of locally grown potatoes suitable for processing has meant that processed potato products are mostly imported, so increased production of seeds and assembly of new cultivars becomes important to do.
Therefore, Suharsono of the Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences of Bogor Agricultural University (FMIPA IPB), together with Fatahillah and Hadijah Nadeak from the Center for Research on Biological Resources and Biotechnology of Institute for Research and Community Service (PPSHB LPPM-IPB) and also Diky Indrawibawa from CV BA Farm, Bandung implemented the study program on increasing the production of potato seeds and assembling new potato cultivars to develop a processed potato industry.
Potato cultivars Jala Ipam is a potato used for french fries. Potato seeds Jala Ipam has been expanded with a production capacity of 25 thousand knol per month. Besides potato cultivars Jala Ipam there is also Baraka and Nooksack which are also potatoes for french fries.
To obtain a superior cultivar, the two cultivars have been mutated by Gamma rays until finally obtained by mutant Baraka and Nooksack mutants. To increase tuber productivity and size, the team assembled the transgenic Nooksack potato cultivars containing the FBPase / ClRAN gene.
Potato cv Nooksack transgenic plants containing the FBPase / ClRAN gene have a higher rate of photosynthesis, capable of producing more bulbs and larger than non-transgenic Nooksack potatoes.
In addition, there are also transgenic Nooksack potatoes containing the Hd3a gene which is relatively higher in production than non-transgenic Nooksack potatoes. The presence of the Hd3a gene controlled by both the constitutive promoter 35S CaMV and by the rolC promoter results in the emergence of more rapid interest in transgenic Jatropha curcas containing gHD3a in vitro. Promoter rolC is a floem promoterspesifik able to express Hd3a with high activity, evidenced by the acceleration of flowering time on the average transgenic rice 19.5 days.
In another example, the excessive expression of the Hd3a gene is capable of causing faster flowering in some plants such as Oryza sativa L, Saussurea involucrata, Jatropha curcas, Nicotiana benthamiana, and able to activate two developmental processes at once i.e. flowering and tuber formation in Andigena potatoes. (Wied)
