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Farming the lowly, dependable potato is more challenging than you might think. The starchy tuber is hungry for water and fertilizer, particularly the popular Russet Burbank variety used to make french fries.

It’s also prone to disease, such as the late blight fungus that caused the Irish potato famine and remains responsible for billions of dollars of annual losses. Keeping disease at bay requires a steady supply of fungicide, which can harm human health and the environment.

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The issue is particularly pressing on Prince Edward Island, which produces about one-quarter of Canada’s potatoes. The very characteristics that make the island great for growing potatoes — its sandy soil, streams and rolling hills — also make it vulnerable to chemicals leaching into the earth.A new GMO potato could drastically decrease the amount of waste, pesticides, and water used, but environmentalists hate it — and they’re preparing for war