French Fries Potatoes Bred by IPB Produced More Tubers than Ordinary Potatoes
In terms of global production, potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is the fourth most important food crop after corn, rice and wheat. Potatoes are produced in large quantities in developed countries. In Indonesia, potatoes become one of the vegetable commodities that have priority development, because it has potential as a supporting plant of food diversification program to meet the nutritional needs of the community. Potatoes are an ideal food substitute because they contain protein, carbohydrates, fats, minerals and vitamins are balanced for the human body.
Potatoes are grouped into two types, namely vegetable potato and industrial raw material (processing). Potatoes are botanically classified as a vegetable, but they are classified nutritionally as a starchy food. Vegetable potatoes do not really need special characters as well as on potatoes industrial raw materials. As an industrial raw material, potatoes are widely used to make chips, potato starch, or as french fries. Processing quality of potato tubers is determined by high dry matter, and low reducing sugar and phenol contents High dry matter content increases chip yield, crispy-consistency, and reduces oil absorption during cooking. Processed potatoes are widely cultivated in Indonesia is the Atlantic potato, while the potatoes used as potato french fries are still not much. Currently, french fries in Indonesia are hundred percent imported.
Potatoes grow on a wide range of soils, but are best suited to a sandy loam or a soil that is well drained. Potatoes are a cool season crop; ideal temperatures for crop growth are 65 to 80 during the day and 55 to 65 at night. Problems in planting potatoes in upland areas are the presence of surface runoff and soil erosion which causes low production. Potato plants are able to bloom and produce tubers when planted in upland areas. Although potato tubers ordinarily form on underground stolons, every axillary bud on a potato stem has the potential to develop a tuber. The formation of tubers in several potato varieties such as the Andigena potato is strongly influenced by short days.
Genetic engineering is one way to improve the properties of plants. A genetically engineered potato is a potato that has had its genes modified, using genetic engineering. Goals of modification include introducing pest resistance, tweaking the amounts of certain chemicals produced by the plant, and to prevent browning or bruising of the tubers. Plant improvement through genetic engineering is based on the manipulation of relevant genes and the availability of genetic material for transformation into plant cells. Potato plant flowering is a normal occurrence, but the flowers usually just dry up and fall off rather than producing fruit. Up to now, genetic engineering has not been practiced to assemble a potato plant of commercial varieties that are able to bloom and produce high products.
For further investigation, students of Biotechnology Studies Program of Bogor Agricultural University (IPB), Wiwin Widiarti, together with Prof. Dr. Suharsono and Prof. Dr. G A Wattimena conducted a study on "Plant Genetic Transformation of Potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.) Cultivar Jala Ipam by using Hd3a gene ".
According to Suharsono, this potato is called Jala Ipam because the skin shaped like a net or net. I in Ipam was taken from the first alphabet of IPB, while Pam is taken from the name of the partner company PT. Amanah.
Suharsono said genetic modification hold the potential, either intentionally or unintentionally have been practiced since long ago by ancestors. Genetic modification programs have been carried out aims to produce better varieties for various purposes. Several methods of doing genetic modification have begun from conventional crosses as well as modern ones, such as starting recombinant DNA technology to produce one variety. "IPB has a responsibility to produce superior varieties which are very important capital in increasing agricultural production," he said.
The results showed that the genetic transformation of potato cultivar plant Jala Ipam has been successfully carried out. Further analysis of Hd3a gene expression and morphological observations of plants in highland and lowland areas are required. (Wied)
