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Title: POTATO CULTIVARS FROM THE MEXICAN NATIONAL PROGRAM: SOURCES AND DURABILITY OF RESISTANCE AGAINST LATE BLIGHT

Author
item Grunwald, Niklaus - Nik
item CADENA HINOJOSA, M - INIFAP, MEXICO
item RUBIO COVARRUBIAS, O - INIFAP, MEXICO
item RIVERA PENA, A - INIFAP, MEXICO
item NIEDERHAUSER, J - TUCSON, AZ
item FRY, W - CORNELL UNIV, NY

Submitted to: Phytopathology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/11/2002
Publication Date: 7/1/2002
Citation: GRUNWALD, N.J., CADENA HINOJOSA, M.A., RUBIO COVARRUBIAS, O., RIVERA PENA, A., NIEDERHAUSER, J.S., FRY, W.E. POTATO CULTIVARS FROM THE MEXICAN NATIONAL PROGRAM: SOURCES AND DURABILITY OF RESISTANCE AGAINST LATE BLIGHT. PHYTOPATHOLOGY. 92:688-693. 2002.

Interpretive Summary: The Mexican national potato program has produced several varieties with high levels of field resistance. Field resistance results in slower disease progress and lower level of disease severity at the end of the field season. We evaluated durability of resistance to potato late blight of a selection of 12 such varieties using data from 1960 to the present. Data were extracted from the field notebooks located in the archives of the Mexican National Potato Program in the John S. Niederhauser Library in Toluca, Mexico. The data indicates that field resistance to potato late blight of Mexican cultivars released between 1965-1999 is durable. At least two of the cultivars, namely Sangema and Tollocan, have been grown on at least 4-5% of the potato acreage and over long periods of time without decay in levels of field resistance. Pedigrees of the 12 varieties indicate that most of the field resistance was derived from a close, native relative eof the cultivated potato named Solanum demissum. Field resistance might also be derived from commonly grown land-race varieties such as "Amarilla de Puebla" and "Leona." These Criollas might have been grown in Mexico since about the 1780's. They have the appearance of material grown in the Andes of South America and their genetic background is unknown.

Technical Abstract: The Mexican national potato program has produced several varieties with high levels of field resistance. We evaluated durability of resistance to potato late blight of a selection of 12 such varieties using data from 1960 to the present. Data were extracted from the field notebooks located in the archives of the Mexican National Potato Program in the John S. Niederhauser rLibrary in Toluca, Mexico. There was no trend to indicate that field resistances to potato late blight of Mexican cultivars released between 1965-1999 are not durable. At least two of the cultivars, namely Sangema and Tollocan, have been grown on at least 4-5% of the potato acreage and over long periods of time without decay in levels of field resistance. Pedigrees of the 12 varieties indicate that most of the field resistance was introgressed from Solanum demissum. Field resistance might also be derived from commonly grown land-race varieties such as "Amarilla de Puebla" and "Leona." These Criollas might have been grown in Mexico since about the 1780's. They have the appearance of S. andigena derived material and their genetic background is unknown.