Skip to main content
ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Wapato, Washington » Temperate Tree Fruit and Vegetable Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #314652
Title: Update on zebra chip variety screening trial

Author
item Munyaneza, Joseph - Joe
item Wallis, Christopher
item Novy, Richard - Rich
item BESTER, G - Frito Lay Research
item RONIS, D - Frito Lay Research
item NORDGAARD, J - Black Gold Farms
item BUCHMAN, J - Bejo Seeds
item VAN HEST, P - Bejo Seeds
item THOMPSON, A - North Dakota State University

Submitted to: Meeting Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/24/2015
Publication Date: 7/7/2015
Citation: Munyaneza, J.E., Wallis, C.M., Novy, R.G., Bester, G., Ronis, D., Nordgaard, J., Buchman, J.L., Van Hest, P., Thompson, A. 2015. Update on zebra chip variety screening trial. Meeting Proceedings. pp. 82-84.

Interpretive Summary: Sustainable management of zebra chip, a new and economically important disease of potato in the United States, requires the identification and development of resistant potato varieties. Researchers at USDA-ARS Wapato in Washington, in collaboration with scientists at USDA-ARS Parlier in California and Aberdeen in Idaho, North Dakota State University, Frito-Lay Inc., Black Gold Farms, and Bejo Seeds Inc., screened over 280 advanced potato breeding lines for resistance to zebra chip. It was determined that five of the potato lines were tolerant of zebra chip and could be used to develop commercial potato varieties that are resistant to the disease. Information from this research will enable identification and development of zebra chip resistant potato varieties that will be used by potato producers to minimize damage caused by this devastating disease.

Technical Abstract: Sustainable management of zebra chip (ZC) disease of potato requires the identification and development of tolerant or resistant potato varieties. For five years (2010-2014), over 280 potato varieties and advanced breeding lines were screened for ZC under controlled field cage conditions, by infecting plant material with the putative disease causal agent ‘Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum’ (Lso) with infectious potato psyllid vectors in no-choice tests and examining tubers for the development of both fresh and fried ZC symptom development. Twenty nine lines exhibited no to light symptoms in freshly cut of fried potato tubers. From these, five tested lines were deemed ZC tolerant with little to no ZC symptoms over multiple years. These five selections were chosen for further screening to determine whether the lack of physiological responses to Lso infection was the cause of observed tolerance by examining differences in amino acid, sugar, and phenolic levels between Lso-infected and non-infected plants. Compared to susceptible Atlantic controls, which characteristically had great increases in most amino acid, sugar, and phenolic levels, these five putatively tolerant lines had less dramatic shifts in host physiology. This suggests the lack of a large-scale host response to Lso infection that results in changes in tuber biochemistry is a potential mechanism of ZC tolerance. This trait can be used to develop commercial potato varieties that are Lso-tolerant.