Collecting wild potato species (Solanum sect. Petota) in Peru to enhance genetic representation and fill gaps in ex situ collections

Authors: SOTOMAYOR, DIEGO - Instituto Nacional De Innovacion Agraria (INIA); ELLIS, DAVID - International Potato Center; SALAS, ALBERTO - International Potato Center; GOMEZ, RENE - International Potato Center; SANCHEZ, ROSA - Instituto Nacional De Innovacion Agraria (INIA); CARRILLO, FREDESVINDA - Instituto Nacional De Innovacion Agraria (INIA); GIRON, CAROLINA - Instituto Nacional De Innovacion Agraria (INIA); QUISPE, VIOLETA - International Potato Center; MANRIQUE, NORMA - International Potato Center; Anglin, Noelle; ZORILLA, C - Instituto Nacional De Innovacion Agraria (INIA)

Submitted to: Frontiers in Plant Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/12/2023
Publication Date: 1/30/2023
Citation: Sotomayor, D.A., Ellis, D., Salas, A., Gomez, R., Sanchez, R.A., Carrillo, F., Giron, C., Quispe, V., Manrique, N., Anglin, N.L., Zorilla, C. 2023. Collecting wild potato species (Solanum sect. Petota) in Peru to enhance genetic representation and fill gaps in ex situ collections. Frontiers in Plant Science. 14. Article 1044718. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2023.1044718.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2023.1044718

Interpretive Summary: Crop wild relatives are important genetic resources for research and breeding. They typically harbor genes that can be used to improve cultivated crops to enhance the ability to resist disease found in the environment. Many crop wild relatives (CWRs) are not currently conserved in genebanks and are under threat due to climate change and shifting landscapes (i.e. - population growth). The aim of this work was to collect potato wild relatives from their natural environment and preserve them in the genebank for future potato research. Collecting trips (18) were made targeting different eco-geographical regions known to be native growing areas of wild potato species in Peru. Species not well represented in global potato genebanks or had low representation were the main targets for collecting. A total of 322 wild potatoes were collected in 2017 and 2018 representing 36 different wild potato species. Herbarium samples were also taken at time of collection. Seeds were subsequently produced from the collected samples and deposited into two genebanks for long term conservation purposes. These plant collections help reduce genetic gaps found in genebank collections and will provide a diverse genetic resource for future potato breeding.

Technical Abstract: Crop wild relatives (CWRs) are important sources of novel genes, due to tolerance of high variability for biotic and abiotic stresses, which can be invaluable for crop genetic improvement programs. Recent studies have shown that CWRs are threatened by several factors, including changes in land-use and climate change. A large proportion of CWRs are underrepresented in genebanks, making it necessary to take action to ensure their long-term conservation. With this aim, 18 targeted collecting trips were conducted during 2017/2018 in the center of origin of potato targeting 17 diverse ecological regions of Peru. Peru is known to be a center of rich biodiversity containing unique, diverse ecological environments such as the Andes mountains, deserts, and tropical rainforests with wild potatoes distributed over a wide range of these diverse landscapes. This was the first comprehensive wild potato collection in Peru in at least 20 years and encompassed most of the unique habitats of potato CWRs in the country. A total of 322 wild potato accessions from 36 different species, according to Spooner’s taxonomic classification, were collected as seed, tubers, and whole plants for ex situ storage and conservation. Most of the accessions required regeneration in the greenhouse prior to long-term conservation as seed. The collected germplasm is conserved both at the Instituto Nacional de Innovacion Agraria (INIA) and the International Potato Center (CIP) in Lima-Peru. The collected accessions help reduce genetic gaps of ex situ conserved germplasm and will allow further research questions on potato genetic improvement and conservation strategies to be answered. These potato CWRs are available by request for research, training, and breeding purposes under the terms of the International Treaty for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) from INIA or CIP.