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Origin of Irish potato famine gene found

Posted by / June 3, 2014

Genetic analysis by researchers at Cornell University and the University of Florida reveals that the pathogen that caused the Irish potato famine in the 1840s came from central Mexico, not the Andes.

A single clonal lineage of P. infestans had invaded the US by 1843, and by the summer of 1845, the potato late blight had established itself in Europe—leading to the Irish potato famine.

Full story at Futurity.

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Photo credit: United Soybean Board/Flickr

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