CRISPR-CAS may be the answer to fast moving Phytophthora

‘I’ve always been quite optimistic, but after this year I’ve become a bit more pessimistic’, said WUR researcher Geert Kessel during a recent Nedelandse webinar on the preservation of resistances in robust varieties. What worries him most is the combi­nation of the high Phytophthora pressure in the past growing season and the fast moving adaptability of the oomycete. The use of cisge­nesis methods such as CRISPR-CAS could be an answer to this, according to Geert Kessel.