• Bangladesh Agricultural Development Cooperation (BADC), Bangladesh
• Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) - Potato Research Center (PRC), Bangladesh
• Central Potato Research Institute (CPRI), India
• Cornell University - College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS), USA
• Indonesian Agency for Agricultural Research and Development (IAARD), Indonesia
• Indonesian Center for Agricultural Biotechnology and Genetic Resources Research and Development (ICABIOGRAD), Indonesia
• Indonesian Vegetable Research Institute (IVEGRI), Indonesia
• International Potato Late Blight Testing Program (PICTIPAPA), Mexico, USA
• International Potato Research Center (CIP), Lima, Peru
• Michigan State University (MSU), USA
• Sathguru Management Consultants Pvt. Ltd., India
• University of Wisconsin (UW) - Biotechnology Center, USA

• Scientists in partnering countries have received the Rb gene from UW and are transforming it into selected potato varieties.
  
• Scientists in partnering countries have received potatoes bioengineered with the Rb gene and are crossing selected Indian varieties with these potatoes.
  
• Indonesian and Indian partners are testing to determine whether the Rb gene is effective against local strains of late blight.
  
• If the Rb technology is shown to be effective, efforts to develop this technology will be accelerated in each partner country.
  
• Conduct preliminary socio-economic impact study.

• Small scale farmers could benefit economically from increased yields, improved potato quality and savings from reduced fungicide sprays.
• Environmentally, soil conditions could improve from a decline in the use of fungicide sprays.
• Countries gain access to advanced biotechnology.
• Collaboration among potato scientists in South and South East Asia to exchange research data, field testing and commercialization of new potato varieties.

In addition to the lack and high price of good quality seeds, stresses caused by insect pests and plant diseases are major constraints for potato production. Late Blight can cause a yield loss between 12 to 31% in the field depending on environmental factors and potato variety, but can also lead to yield loss of up to 100%. To control this disease, farmers apply various fungicides intensively, spending 13.5% of their potato cultivation budget on disease control.

• Scientists at ICABIOGRAD have received the Rb gene from UW and are transferring it into selected potato varieties.
  
• Scientists at IVEGRI have received shoot and stem cuttings from potatoes bioengineered with the Rb gene and are using conventional plant breeding techniques to cross them to selected domestic varieties.
  
• Indonesian partners provided short-term training to Bangladesh scientists and assistance in crossing Bangladesh materials.
  
• Indonesian partners are testing the naturally resistant wild potato to determine whether the Rb gene is effective against local strains of late blight.
  
• The team will conduct biosafety studies in Indonesia.
  
• Indonesian partners are applying for regulatory approval for field trials.

• Bogor Agricultural University (BAU), Indonesia
• East West Seeds, Philippines
• Indonesian Center for Agricultural Biotechnology and Genetic Resources Research and Development (ICABIOGRAD), Indonesia
• Indonesian Vegetable Research Institute (IVEGRI), Indonesia
• International Service for the Acquisition of Agribiotech Applications (ISAAA) - Southeast Asia Center, Philippines
• University of the Philippines, Los Baños (UPLB) - Chancellor’s Office and Institute of Plant Breeding (IPB), Philippines
• Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), USA
• World Vegetable Center (AVRDC), Taiwan

• Available technologies have been assessed.
  Negotiations have been initiated to access the different technologies.
  
• Initial work has shown to be successful in Taiwan, where virus resistance was transferred to tomato and has undergone greenhouse and field testing for safety and efficacy in collaboration with the World Vegetable Center (AVRDC).
  
• CMV-CP and tomato leaf curl virus resistance technologies from AVRDC have been initially incorporated by crossing to selected Indonesian and Philippine genotypes.
  
• Breeding work continues in both countries.
  
• Diversity studies of the two target viruses are nearly complete.
  
• MTAs have been signed between AVRDC and partner institutions.
  
• Bioengineered and non-bioengineered materials have been transferred from AVRDC to Indonesia; non-bioengineered materials have been transferred to the Philippines;
  
• Ex-ante impact studies in both countries have been completed. Results point to affirmation of stakeholders’ benefits.
  

• Significant increase in knowledge and information about the diversity of CMV and tomato leaf curl viruses in Indonesia and the Philippines for better virus control.
• Access to advanced plant biotechnology.
• Improved capacity of national breeding institutions to integrate genetic engineering technology into their breeding programs.
• Strengthen partnerships between international and national research centers.
• Facilitation of public-private partnerships and South-South partnership.
• Less pesticide use to control whiteflies and aphid vectors.
• Increased yield due to decrease damage by the virus. This should result in increased income to farmers, increased supply of tomato, and lower costs to the consumers.

• Methodology for virus screening will be refined and standardized among partners.
  
• Backcrossing of the CMV resistance trait and intercrossing to combine bioengineered CMV-CP and non-bioengineered tomato leaf curl virus resistance in Indonesian varieties will be continued.
  
• Cloning and sequencing of local CMV and tomato leaf curl virus isolates and diversity analysis will be completed; sequences comparison will be made among virus isolates from Taiwan, Indonesia and the Philippines.
  
• Tests will be completed to assess the effectiveness of the bioengineered and the non-bioengineered sources against the local isolates of the target viruses.
  
• Conduct contained field trials to test efficacy and biosafety of CMV-resistant tomatoes.
  
• Work toward commercializing MVR tomatoes.