According to the thesis, research scientists and breeders should be made aware of the fact that Phytophthora infestans is no fungus but an oomycete. It is therefore more closely related to plants and algae than to fungi. Applying Vleeshouwers results will open up new perspectives for the development of potato varieties with sustained resistance. Potato blight is the greatest enemy of potato cultivators the world over. Many varieties of potato that used to be resistant to the disease have gradually become vulnerable as the pathogen adapts itself.
Some species still have some immunity, and therefore have sustained resistance .
Until recently this kind of immunity was considered to be founded on a totally different mechanism than the non-sustained form of resistance. The reaction causes plant cells to die wherever the pathogen enters the plant, resulting in the pathogen itself dying off. The genes responsible for this are not active against all forms of the pathogen, which makes the resistance non-sustainable. Phytophthora is not a fungus Resistance against fungi is generally based on a number of characteristic mechanisms. A few years ago, however, DNA research showed that Phytophthora infestans is a oomycete rather than a fungus.