Improving breeding efficiency in potato using molecular and quantitative genetics

Abstract

Potatoes are highly heterozygous and the conventional breeding of superior germplasm is challenging, but use of a combination of MAS and EBVs can accelerate genetic gain. Cultivated potatoes are highly heterozygous due to their outbreeding nature, and suffer acute inbreeding depression. Modern potato cultivars also exhibit tetrasomic inheritance. Due to this genetic heterogeneity, the large number of target traits and the specific requirements of commercial cultivars, potato breeding is challenging. A conventional breeding strategy applies phenotypic recurrent selection over a number of generations, a process which can take over 10 years. Recently, major advances in genetics and molecular biology have provided breeders with molecular tools to accelerate gains for some traits. Marker-assisted selection (MAS) can be effectively used for the identification of major genes and quantitative trait loci that exhibit large effects. There are also a number of complex traits of interest, such as yield, that are influenced by a large number of genes of individual small effect where MAS will be difficult to deploy. Progeny testing and the use of pedigree in the analysis can provide effective identification of the superior genetic factors that underpin these complex traits. Recently, it has been shown that estimated breeding values (EBVs) can be developed for complex potato traits. Using a combination of MAS and EBVs for simple and complex traits can lead to a significant reduction in the length of the breeding cycle for the identification of superior germplasm.

Overview and Breeding Strategies of Table Potato Production in Sweden and the Fennoscandian Region

“…It also looks promising for tuber quality features (Li et al, 2013). MAS along with the estimation of breeding values for simple and complex traits may improve the efficiency in future potato breeding since it will likely reduce significantly the time for identifying superior germplasm (Slater et al 2013;Slater et al 2014). Dense genetic maps based on single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) give details about location of quantitative trait loci (QTL) and serve to develop genetic models that account for phenotypic variation.…”

Development and application of a 20K SNP array in potato

“…More recently different approaches to increase genetic gain in potato have been proposed. For example the use of diploid inbreds to create F 1 hybrids (Lindhout et al 2011) or EBV (estimated breeding values) based on pedigree information (Slater et al 2014b) and how MAS (marker assisted selection) can result in genetic gain (Slater et al 2014a). Marker assisted selection (MAS) is considered as an important tool to increase breeding efficiency and increase genetic gain in general.…”

Interspecific potato hybrids as donors of durable resistance to pathogens

“…Необходимо подчеркнуть, что большинство описанных к настоящему времени маркеров хозяйственно ценных признаков картофеля (Slater et al, 2014;Ramakrishnan et al, 2015) фланкируют соответствующие локусы, в то время как многие гены, отвечающие за эти признаки, остаются неидентифицированными. Между тем для мониторинга селекционного процесса предпочтительны маркеры, кото-рые являются фрагментами самих целевых генов и, в от-личие от фланкирующих маркеров, полностью сохраняют свою информационную ценность даже при значительной рекомбинации генетического материала в геномах межви-довых гибридов.…”