Potato
Towards a New Generation of
Sustainable Potatoes in Europe
Potato is one of Europe’s most important crops, yet it remains highly vulnerable to viruses and diseases that can severely reduce yields especially Potato Virus Y (PVY), responsible for losses of up to 80%.
At the same time, the potato starch industry relies on energyintensive and chemical-heavy processing to achieve the required performance for food and industrial applications.
The GeneBEcon project, funded by the Horizon Europe programme, presents a major scientific step forward: the development of geneedited potato lines that combine improved resistance to viral infections with optimised starch quality, helping reduce both pesticide use and downstream chemical processing.
The technical report now available provides an in-depth overview of:
- How New Genomic Techniques (NGTs) such as CRISPR and prime editing enable precise modifications of key genes like eIF4E to enhance PVY resistance.
- How targeted edits in GBSS, SS2, and SS3 produce a more stable, amylose-free starch that performs better with fewer chemical treatments.
- Economic impacts, demonstrating that these innovations could generate over €80 million in benefits within 20 years, even under current strict regulatory conditions.
- Biosafety requirements and regulatory pathways for bringing NGT-derived potatoes to market in the European Union.
- Public and stakeholder perceptions, a crucial component for enabling responsible and transparent innovation.
Together, these insights show how gene-edited potatoes could play a key role in advancing sustainable agriculture, reducing inputs, improving industrial eiciency, and supporting the goals of the
European Green Deal.
