2 ms·

That's very interesting. The video I linked showed that blight resistant trees had a very specific response to grow extra tissue around the infection site to st

by culi 4y ago

That's very interesting. The video I linked showed that blight resistant trees had a very specific response to grow extra tissue around the infection site to stop it from spreading further so I assumed it was more of a multi-pronged defense

empyrrhicist 4y ago
Yes - the Asian ones that evolved with the fungus have a more complex strategy, making a purely breeding-based program challenging. Separately, some clever genetic engineering allows the trees to break down oxalic acid, which prevents the fungus from being able to efficiently attack the plant cells. Two separate things.
- pfdietz 4y ago
  These two approaches could be combined, and probably will be naturally if both varieties are introduced to the wild.
  - JshWright 4y ago
    Indeed, part of the work being done by the team working on the genetic engineering approach is breeding Darling 58 with the Chinese backcrossed version.