Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus Resistance in Chrysanthemum
Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus Resistance in Chrysanthemum
Dr. James Moyer, Professor of Plant Pathology North Carolina State University
DESIGNER DEFENSES: ORNAMENTALS TAILORED FOR DISEASE RESISTANCE APPROACH THE RUNWAY
Alive and thriving in a mum-producer’s test greenhouses, mums successfully, genetically transformed for disease resistance patiently wait to be introduced. The plants are the products of Endowment-funded research work conducted by plant pathologists Dr. James Moyer and Dr. Margaret Daub. Moyer launched his attack on tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) in the early 90s with Endowment-supported studies proving that spotted wilt is caused by any one of several related, insect-transmitted Tospoviruses. Facing such a formidable foe, the researchers began focusing on genetically engineering ornamentals for tospovirus resistance. Over the last three years, they developed a commercially viable technique for bolstering mum cultivars’ defenses with genes extracted from the viruses themselves.
Though the “transformed” mums show resistance to spotted wilt in production trials, they still face a long period of trials before mounting the market runway. Moyer and Daub are now monitoring the cultivars to make sure the plants’ resistance is dependably strong. The researchers are also evaluating the mums’ inbred charactertistics to verify the traits are unaffected by the gene-altering process. And as the mums blissfully bloom, the researchers also face racks of red tape in making their first lab-to-real-world technology transfer. Floriculturists have little experience in the commercialization of transformed floral crops. And industry policies must be established. Plus, the team is working hard to replace genetic-engineering procedural components tied to pricey patents with new and, quite probably, improved ones.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT RESEARCH-PROJECT LEADER:
Dr. James Moyer, Professor of Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University
