Researchers Find Defense Against Zebra Chip Disease

Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientists have developed a new approach to countering potato zebra chip disease. Their method uses spinach antimicrobial peptides, known as defensins, which naturally defend plants against a broad range of pathogens. When researchers expressed the antimicrobial peptides in potatoes, the potato plants showed minimal disease symptoms, had less disease-causing bacteria present, showed less of the characteristic zebra chip discoloration in tubers and had greater tuber numbers compared to untreated plants.