Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg

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LSP Project 3-2

A new technique to protect plants against virus infections

Virus induced diseases substantially limit the production of important vegetable crops like wheat, maize, rice, cassava, potato, tomato, banana and papaya. Worldwide, this affects the nutrition of billions of people and causes enormous economic losses. The situation is further exacerbated by the recent emergence of a huge variety of novel types of plant viruses, which is driven by the long-distance trade of plant material favoring genetic recombinations as well as by the climate change. Multiple strategies are currently pursued to breed or transgenically modify plant species to protect them against viral infections. The problem with cosmopolitan viruses is their fast pace of evolution and, as a result, their genetic diversity. Hence, it is highly desirable having procedures in hands that enable the generation of broadly protected plants. That is, the plants should not only be protected against currently circulating viruses but also against strains that may emerge by the genetic drift (mutations/recombinations). Recently, we established a novel procedure that is expected to meet these requirements. This application aims at generating proofs of concept that the technology is applicable to generate plants that are resistant against two types of viruses: i.e., the Begomovirus (family Geminiviridae) Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) causing Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Disease (TYLCD) and the Cucumovirus (family Bromoviridae) Cucumber mosaic cucumovirus (CMV) that infects multiple plant species including maize, banana, and tomato.

Staff

Prof. Dr. Sven-Erik Behrens

Prof. Dr. Sven-Erik Behrens

Prof. Dr. Sven-Erik Behrens

Prof. Dr. Sven-Erik Behrens, Projektleiter

Tel: 0345 55 24960

Dr. Selma Pérsida Gago Zachert

Dr. Selma Pérsida Gago Zachert

Dr. Selma Pérsida Gago Zachert

Dr. Selma Pérsida Gago Zachert

Tel: 0345 55821220

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