Genetic Variance Estimates in Heterogeneous Potato Populations Propagated from True Potato Seed(TPS)

Twenty nine cross populations developed according to line x tester mating design along with their twelve parents raised from true potato seeds, were used to study variability and correlation for seven characters. The range of variation for all the characters were found to be wide and pronounced which indicated that characters were quantitative in nature and were under polygenic control. For all the characters, greater portion of the total δ^2p was mostly contributed by the δ^2g. Among the seven characters, tuber weight per plant showed the highest δ^2g, PCV, GCV, H2b, GA and expected GA%.On the other hand, dry matter contents (%) showed the lowest H^2b. Phenotypic and genotypic correlation coefficients of plant height with no. of tubers per plant and tuber weight per plant; no. of branches per plant with no. of tubers per plant and tuber weight per plant were found to be significant and positive.     

Exceptional Potato Clones Selected by Filipino Farmers from True Potato Seed: Status after 30 Years

In a remote mountainous region of the Philippines, farmers selected their own clones from hybrid True Potato Seed (TPS) populations and have maintained them for 30 years without public support. In 1985, the International Potato Center (CIP) initiated on-farm TPS research in the Mount Kanlaon area to help farmers control or reduce the rates of bacterial wilt caused by Ralstonia solanacearum. Seedlings were either grown in nursery beds or as transplants in the field. At harvest, farmers not only harvested their crop for either food or for sale but also selected their preferred clones. A survey conducted in 2016 showed that farmers are still growing potato clones selected from TPS and that these clones had spread to numerous areas within and around Mount Kanlaon. Farmers kept these clones because it was profitable because they required minimum inputs and their resistance to various pests and diseases and adverse weather conditions. ELISA tests showed that these clones have excellent virus resistance which partially explains why these clones have been growing for 30 years without a formal seed production program or any government support. Parents used to develop the TPS hybrids included those with virus and R. solanacearum resistance.     

Rheological and Thermal Properties of Potato Starch

<正>Particle size, rheological and thermal properties of potato starch from Yunnan province of China was investigated. The particle size ranges from 0.429-102.3 μm determined by laser light-scatter. The major flow type of 6 w/v% potato starch was shear-thinning fluid even the shear rate up to 800·s-1, and the gel formed by 6 w/v% potato starch fell to weak gel for its little difference between G′ and G′′, high dependence on frequency and low value of G′(Pa). The hardness and cohesiveness of potato starch gel were 31.3 g and 131.9 g·s, respectively. The thermal properties of potato starch were also determined by DSC at the starch∶ water = 3∶ 1. The To, Tp, and △H of potato starch were 62.23℃, 67.31℃, and 2.22 J·g-1.     

Seeds for the Future = Challenges for Potato

The quality of seed potatoes is of paramount importance. The Netherlands and France are important seed potato exporters. In France, seed potato production is a well-organised and economically important sector in which genetic crop improvement and advancement of seed health are crucial objectives. There are strong debates in France on the use of new breeding techniques, which require special skills, equipment, facilities and investments, but which are not always accepted by the general public. The seed potato sector should prepare itself for a situation in which pests and diseases will adapt themselves to global change. Moreover, pests and diseases may thrive under the reduced use of chemical crop protectants. In this regard, it is essential to assess which multiplication techniques will have a better future: are we going to grow potatoes on the basis of seed potato schemes or on the basis of true potato seed? At the same time, there are many national and international changes in legislation about seed production. The seed potato sector must prepare itself for a diverse set of changes in a very dynamic world.     

Lactic Acid Fermentation of β-Carotene Rich Sweet Potato (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Ipomoea batatas</Emphasis> L.) into Lacto-juice

Lacto-juices processed by lactic acid fermentation bring about a change in the beverage assortment for their high nutritive value, vitamins and minerals which are beneficial to human health when consumed. Sweet potato roots (non-boiled/ fully-boiled) were fermented with Lactobacillus plantarum MTCC 1407 at 28 ± 2°C for 48 h to make lacto- juice. During fermentation both analytical [pH, titratable acidity, lactic acid, starch, total sugar, reducing sugar (g/kg roots), total phenol and β-carotene (mg/kg roots)] and sensory (texture, taste, aroma, flavour and after taste) analyses of sweet potato lacto-juice were evaluated. The fermented juice was subjected to panelist evaluation for acceptability. There were no significant variations in biochemical constituents (pH, 2.2–3.3; lactic acid, 1.19–1.27 g/kg root; titratable acidity, 1.23–1.46 g/kg root, etc.) of lacto-juices prepared from non-boiled and fully-boiled sweet potato roots except β-carotene concentration [130 ± 7.5 mg/kg (fully-boiled roots) and 165 ± 8.1 mg/kg (non-boiled roots)]. The panelist evaluation scores ranged from 3–4.8 (in a hedonic scale of 1–5) from moderate liking to very much liking of sweet potato lacto-juice. Principal component analyses reduced the eight original analytical variables to three independent components (factors), which accounted for 99.9% of the total variations. Similarly, five original sensory variables were reduced to two independent components, which accounted for 83.1% of the total variations.     

Carrot Pathogen ‘<Emphasis Type="Italic">Candidatus</Emphasis> Liberibacter solanacearum’ Haplotype C Detected in Symptomless Potato Plants in Finland

‘Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum’ (CLso) haplotype C, a bacterial pathogen transmitted by the carrot psyllid Trioza apicalis, causes yield losses in carrot production. Due to concerns that this pathogen might also threaten potato (Solanum tuberosum) production, the occurrence of CLso in cultivated and volunteer potatoes in Tavastia Proper and Satakunta regions of Finland was studied. Volunteer potato plants were found in 13 of the 27 inspected carrot fields. Of the 148 potato samples tested by PCR, eight volunteer potato plants and one cultivated potato grown at the edge of a carrot field were found to be CLso positive. The PCR products obtained from these potatoes with primers OA2/OI2c, LpFrag4-1611F/LpFrag4-480R and CL514F/CL514R all showed 100% sequence identity to CLso haplotype C. This is the first observation of CLso haplotype C in field-grown potatoes. In addition, transmission experiments were performed. Attempts to transmit CLso into potato with carrot psyllids were not successful; however, CLso haplotype C was transmitted from infected carrots to potato plants by leaf grafting and by phloem connection formed by dodder, a parasitic plant, and found to survive in the potato plants for several weeks after transmission. However, the bacterial colonisation progressed slowly in the potato phloem and the amount of bacteria detected was low. The plants produced from the daughter tubers of the CLso-positive potato plants were all CLso negative, suggesting that CLso haplotype C was not able to pass to the daughter plants. None of the CLso-positive potatoes inoculated in greenhouse or collected from fields showed symptoms characteristic of zebra chip disease, associated with CLso haplotypes A and B.     

Potato Stem Cuttings to Study <Emphasis Type="Italic">Verticillium dahliae</Emphasis> Infection for Resistance Breeding and ‘omics’ Studies

Consistent and effective methods for early discrimination of pathogen resistance, and selection of times for tissue sampling, are important for experiments using global gene expression and metabolomics. Assays for resistance to the vascular pathogen Verticillium dahliae (Vd), the causal agent of Verticillium wilt (VW), are particularly difficult because escapes are common in field assays. Seedling dip assays offer a potential solution, but homogeneous populations are not typically available. As an alternative strategy, we have developed a protocol for studying spatiotemporal infection dynamics of Vd using potato stem cuttings. The protocol was validated using genotypes varying in resistance/susceptibility to Vd. Although there were no visual symptoms in the plants, stem sections were infested with Vd as early as 7 dpi. Symptoms were first observed in the most susceptible genotype at 10 dpi and became apparent on all test subjects at 14 dpi. The protocol has potential applications in resistance breeding and ‘omics’ studies where populations derived from true seeds are not available.     

Mr. Potato — Partner in the livestock business

American Journal of Potato Research -     

Changing Phenology of Potato and of the Treatment for its Major Pest (Colorado Potato Beetle) – A Long-term Analysis

Potato Solanum tuberosum is one of the world’s four most important crops. Its cultivation is steadily increasing in response to the need to feed a growing world population. The yield of potato is influenced inter alia by both climate and pests. The main defoliator pest of potato is Colorado potato beetle Leptinotarsa decemlineata. Using data from a long-term experiment (1958–2013) in western Poland, we show that increasing temperature has affected the trophic relationship between potato and Colorado potato beetle. The planting, leafing, flowering and harvest dates for potato were advanced, after controlling for different cultivars, by 2.00 days, 3.04 days, 3.80 days and 3.42 days respectively for every 1 °C increase in temperature. In contrast, first treatment against Colorado potato beetle advanced by 4.66 days for every 1 °C increase in temperature, and, furthermore, the number of treatments against the beetle increased by 0.204 per 1 °C increase in temperature. This suggests that the beetle responds faster to increasing temperature than the plant does, but both parts of the system are probably greatly modified by farming practices.     

Potato： A Favorable Crop for Plant Molecular Farming

Molecular farming refers to the production ofrecombinant proteins in heterologous expressionsystems.The recent advances in genomics andproteomics resulted in identification of several newgenes.These have to be functionally characterized toexplore their probable use in diverse applications.Itis quite unlikely that a single expression system couldsupport the production of these proteins,thereforethere is a needtoidentifyandanalyzedifferentnovelex-pression systems for the recombinant protein prod…