Bharathi wins award for research on a mute button for potato blight

Bharathi's presentation was titled Spud Squad’s - Sustainable Solution to Potato Blight and was based on her thesis "Using dsRNA-loaded virus-like particles as an effective SIGS strategy to combat potato late blight".

– Bharathi Boddu paints a gripping picture of a world in need of a mute button for a blight that threatens potato crops everywhere. The comically named Spud Squad – saviour of potatoes - could very well be a household name in the future thanks to Boddu’s pitch that is easy to grip for children as well as grandparents (and everyone in between), said the jury’s motivation. The jury believes in the Spud Squad and hopes for a world abundant in potatoes.

Bharathi Boddu is supervised by Naga Charan and Ramesh Vetukuri.

– The aim of this research project in the long run is to secure vital food production around the globe, and thereby help achieve SDG 2 – Zero Hunger. The project will also benefit SDG 15, Life on Land, by helping surrounding ecosystems as current fungicides become obsolete, says Ramesh Vetukuri.