Research and analysis

Qualifying higher plant notification (reference: 23/Q05)

Published 6 June 2023

Applies to England

© Crown copyright 2023

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Notification requirement for release of qualifying higher plants

Information to be provided to the Secretary of State alongside a notice of intention to release a qualifying higher plant under schedule 3A of the Genetically Modified Organisms (Deliberate Release) (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2022

1. The title of the project

Potato late blight resistance in gene edited S. americanum.

2. The aim of the project (including any matters being investigated as part of the project)

The project aims to determine the field resistance of a gene edited Solanum americanum line to potato late blight (P. infestans). Two disease resistance genes have been mutated by CRISPR/Cas9 to remove their function.

3. The full name of the qualifying higher plant to be released under the project, including:

(a) family name: Solanaceae

(b) genus: Solanum

(c) species: Solanum americanum

(d) subspecies: not applicable

4. The expected date on which the project will start

25 June 2023

5. The expected duration of the project

June to September 2023 and May to September 2024

6. Confirmation that the person with overall responsibility for the project will put in place appropriate measures[footnote 1], as necessary, to minimise the possibility of material from the qualifying higher plant being placed on the market, for example by cross-fertilizing sexually compatible commercial crops

S. americanum is not a crop nor is it sexually compatible with any commercial crops grown in the UK, therefore there is no risk of it entering the market in any way.

7. Confirmation that the person with overall responsibility for the project has read the ACRE guidance on genetic technologies that result in ‘qualifying higher plants’ and has assessed that the higher plants covered by this notification meet these criteria

I have read this guidance and confirm that the S. americanum lines to be grown in this trial meet the criteria described.

  1. Notifiers may wish to refer to published ACRE advice concerning measures for the minimisation of cross-pollination from UK GMO crop trials authorised under retained EU legislation. ↩

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