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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Madison, Wisconsin » Vegetable Crops Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #324060
Title: Reinventing potato as a diploid inbred line-based crop

Author
item Jansky, Shelley
item CHARKOWSKI, A - University Of Wisconsin
item DOUCHES, D - Michigan State University
item GUSMINI, G - Pepsico
item RICHAEL, C - Jr Simplot Company
item Bethke, Paul
item Spooner, David
item Novy, Richard - Rich
item DE JONG, H - Agriculture And Agri-Food Canada
item DE JONG, W - Cornell University
item Bamberg, John
item THOMPSON, A - North Dakota State University
item BIZIMUNGU, B - Agriculture And Agri-Food Canada
item HOLM, D - Colorado State University
item Brown, Charles
item Haynes, Kathleen
item SATHUVALLI, V - Oregon State University

Submitted to: Crop Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/25/2016
Publication Date: 4/15/2016
Publication URL: http://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/62666
Citation: Jansky, S.H., Charkowski, A.O., Douches, D.S., Gusmini, G., Richael, C., Bethke, P.C., Spooner, D.M., Novy, R.G., De Jong, H., De Jong, W.S., Bamberg, J.B., Thompson, A.L., Bizimungu, B., Holm, D.G, Brown, C.R., Haynes, K.G., Sathuvalli, V.R., et al. 2016. Reinventing potato as a diploid inbred line-based crop. Crop Science. 56(4):1412-1422. doi: 10.2135/cropsci2015.12.0740.

Interpretive Summary: Potato is the third most important food crop in the world. It is important for breeders to continue to develop new cultivars with improved yield, quality, and disease resistance. This is difficult, though, because potato has a complex genetic system. We are proposing to convert potato into a crop with a much more simple genetic system that will allow breeders to more efficiently improve the crop.

Technical Abstract: The third most important food crop worldwide, potato, is a tetraploid outcrossing species propagated from tubers. Breeders have long been challenged by polyploidy, heterozygosity, and asexual reproduction. It has been assumed that tetraploidy is essential for high yield, the creation of inbred potato is not feasible, and propagation by seed tubers is ideal. In this paper, we question those assumptions and propose to convert potato into a diploid inbred line-based crop propagated by true seed. Although a conversion of this magnitude is unprecedented, the possible genetic gains from a breeding system based on inbred lines and the seed production benefits from a sexual propagation system are too large to ignore. We call on leaders of public and private organizations to come together to explore the feasibility of this radical and exciting new strategy in potato breeding.