A scalable, low-cost phenotyping strategy to assess tuber size, shape, and the colorimetric features of tuber skin and flesh in potato breeding populations

Authors: Feldman, Max; Park, Jae; MILLER, NATHAN - University Of Wisconsin; WAKHOLI, COLLINS - US Department Of Agriculture (USDA); Greene, Katelyn; ABBASI, ARASH - Dakota State University; Rippner, Devin; Navarre, Duroy - Roy; SCHMITZ CARLEY, CARI - Aardevo; SHANNON, LAURA - University Of Minnesota; Novy, Richard - Rich

Submitted to: The Plant Phenome Journal
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/30/2023
Publication Date: 3/8/2024
Citation: Feldman, M.J., Park, J.B., Miller, N., Wakholi, C., Greene, K.B., Abbasi, A., Rippner, D.A., Navarre, D.A., Schmitz Carley, C., Shannon, L.M., Novy, R.G. 2024. A scalable, low-cost phenotyping strategy to assess tuber size, shape, and the colorimetric features of tuber skin and flesh in potato breeding populations. The Plant Phenome Journal. 7(1). Article e20099. https://doi.org/10.1002/ppj2.20099.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ppj2.20099

Interpretive Summary: Potato tuber size, shape, skin and flesh color, and defect susceptibility are all factors that influence the acceptance of new potato cultivars. Despite the importance of these characteristics, our ability to understand the genetics controlling trait inheritance is limited by our ability to quantitatively measure these features in large breeding populations. To alleviate this bottleneck, scientists at the USDA-ARS laboratory in Aberdeen, ID and Prosser, WA in collaboration with researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Dakota State University, The University of Minnesota, and Aardevo North America LLC., developed a semi-automated imaging and machine vision workflow to measure these features. This workflow was applied to examine the phenotypic variation observed within 189 full-sibling progeny within the A08241 breeding population. Results from this study demonstrate the diversity of features that can be reliably measured using machine vision and provide evidence that the traits examined (tuber size, shape, color) are likely influenced by genetic inheritance.

Technical Abstract: Tuber size, shape, colorimetric characteristics, and defect susceptibility are all factors that influence the acceptance of new potato cultivars. Despite the importance of these characteristics, our understanding of their inheritance is substantially limited by our inability to precisely measure these features quantitatively on the scale needed to evaluate breeding populations. To alleviate this bottleneck, we developed a low-cost, semi-automated workflow to capture data and measure each of these characteristics using machine vision. This workflow was applied to assess the phenotypic variation present within 189 F1 progeny of the A08241 breeding population. Our results provide an example of quantitative measurements acquired using machine vision methods that are reliable, heritable, and can be used to understand and select upon multiple traits simultaneously in structured potato breeding populations.