Effect of Organic Potato Farming on Human and Environmental Health and Benefits from New Plant Breeding Techniques. Is It Only a Matter of Public Acceptance?

Abstract

Organic farming practices are commonly thought to reduce the environmental impact of agriculture and to preserve the naturalness of the products. Herein, we report the effect of crop management practices on nutritional and toxicological value of potato tubers. Comparative studies are often controversial and the results are dependent on genotype and methodological approach. Targeted analysis and "omics" strategies are discussed, pointing at the nutritional aspects and the corresponding biological and molecular processes involved. Organic farming supporters still do not accept the use of genetic modification to produce new varieties suited for organic agriculture and crop improvement by genetic engineering still sparks hot debate among various scientific and social factions whose major concern is the possible existence of unintended effects both on human and world health. In this context, the advent of "new plant breeding techniques" has reignited the discussion on genetic engineering and on the compatibility of the new technologies with an eco-friendly agriculture. Could cisgenic and genome-edited potatoes be new good options for organic agriculture? We discuss how these approaches can be used to address food security challenges and to overcome specific problems based on the biological characteristics of potato tubers, producing new varieties that can improve farmers' profit with a lower impact on public opinion. However, political, ethical, and social fears will probably persist much longer, mainly in Italy, historically a fiercely anti-GM country with a European leadership in organic food production and export.

Influence of Organic Farming on the Potato Transcriptome

“…As reported previously [4], crop management affected biological processes and pathways related to the quality of the tuber. Herein, transcriptional induction of the phenylpropanoid pathway, known for its important role in the interaction between plants and the environment, was found in organically grown tubers in 2007 (Figure 2), when the plants exhibited, to some extent, the symptoms of Phytophtora infestans infection, with a high severity at the 15th week after planting (1, in the Malcomson 1−9 scale; data not shown).…”

“…As public opinion has started to demonstrate a belief that organic food is healthier than conventional food, the current consumer trends in organic food consumption have greatly increased (5-11% per year in the United States and nearly 10% per year in Europe; [2,3]). However, scientific knowledge still cannot address the question regarding the supposed additional benefit, although it is well established that environmental factors, including farming practices, may greatly influence the transcriptome, proteome, and chemical composition of tubers and, ultimately, their nutritional and organoleptic quality [3][4][5][6][7][8]. From this perspective, very few studies are available concerning proteomic [9], metabolomic [10], and transcriptomic [11] approaches that investigate the impact of agricultural practices on tuber composition, and no previous study was replicated for more years or compared more genotypes.…”

I Have a Dream: Organic Movements Include Gene Manipulation to Improve Sustainable Farming

“…Gheysen and Custers [5], as well as Pacifico and Paris [6], discuss the potential benefits of potatoes generated by NPBTs. Both groups review the problem of late blight disease caused by the oomycete Phytophthora infestans that infects potatoes and necessitates the application of copper fungicides even in organic farming systems, although copper is a toxic heavy metal whose accumulation in the soils reached dangerous levels in several places.…”

“…As reviewed by Pacifico and Paris [6], genome editing is also feasible to alter specific genes of the potato in such a way that the final product is identical to a natural mutant. Such genome-edited potatoes have properties such as lower levels of toxic acrylamide after frying.…”

“…To address the problem of whether organic farming and gene manipulation may be compatible, I initiated a Special Issue in Sustainability by inviting experts of both fields to express their views on this topic [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]. I am most thankful to all contributors for joining this discussion, but also to the reviewers for evaluating these manuscripts.…”