Potato, Solanum tuberosum, is the fourth largest food crop in the world. The potato originates from the mountains of the Andes, and a great diversity of related wild tuber-bearing Solanum species thrive in South, Central and North America. The widely cultivated potato has wide adaptability, high yield and comprehensive nutrition. It can be used as the main food as well as vegetables and feed. Potato cultivars are autotetraploid (2n = 4x = 48), with highly heterozygous chromosomes and complex inheritance, which is not conducive to the study of forward genetics. Besides, artificial selection during cultivation has resulted in a narrow genetic base, low heterosis, poor biotic and abiotic resistance, and so on.
Unclear mechanisms of important potato traits, including growth and development, tuber quality, abiotic and disease resistance, are the key bottlenecks restricting potato genetic improvement. In recent years, the sequencing of several potato genomes has been completed, including cultivated and wild species, coupled with rapid advances in bioinformatics, which provided powerful tools for detailed studies of functional genes. With the development of single-cell sequencing, GWAS analysis of complex genome and other related technologies, the analysis of potato functional genes will speed up.
The goal of this Research Topic is to bring forward the latest studies in potato, to address gaps in areas of plant physiology, genetics, development and germplasm in the potato. This information would bring a better understanding of the physiology growth and development, tuber quality, abiotic and biotic stress response and disease resistance of potato, thereby leading to the sustainable production of this important food crop.
We welcome submissions on the following research themes but are not limited to:
• Regulation of tuber development
• Increasing potato yield
• Improving tuber quality from a nutritional point of view
• Enhancing the tolerance to main abiotic and biotic stresses
• Enhancing disease resistance
Potato, Solanum tuberosum, is the fourth largest food crop in the world. The potato originates from the mountains of the Andes, and a great diversity of related wild tuber-bearing Solanum species thrive in South, Central and North America. The widely cultivated potato has wide adaptability, high yield and comprehensive nutrition. It can be used as the main food as well as vegetables and feed. Potato cultivars are autotetraploid (2n = 4x = 48), with highly heterozygous chromosomes and complex inheritance, which is not conducive to the study of forward genetics. Besides, artificial selection during cultivation has resulted in a narrow genetic base, low heterosis, poor biotic and abiotic resistance, and so on.
Unclear mechanisms of important potato traits, including growth and development, tuber quality, abiotic and disease resistance, are the key bottlenecks restricting potato genetic improvement. In recent years, the sequencing of several potato genomes has been completed, including cultivated and wild species, coupled with rapid advances in bioinformatics, which provided powerful tools for detailed studies of functional genes. With the development of single-cell sequencing, GWAS analysis of complex genome and other related technologies, the analysis of potato functional genes will speed up.
The goal of this Research Topic is to bring forward the latest studies in potato, to address gaps in areas of plant physiology, genetics, development and germplasm in the potato. This information would bring a better understanding of the physiology growth and development, tuber quality, abiotic and biotic stress response and disease resistance of potato, thereby leading to the sustainable production of this important food crop.
We welcome submissions on the following research themes but are not limited to:
• Regulation of tuber development
• Increasing potato yield
• Improving tuber quality from a nutritional point of view
• Enhancing the tolerance to main abiotic and biotic stresses
• Enhancing disease resistance
