Biodiversity, conservation, and breeding of potato (Solanum tuberosum) with emphasis on the Chilotanum group

Abstract

The potato belongs to the genus Solanum, subgenus Potatoe, Petota section, which brings together 19 series that include the tuber-forming species (tuberous series). The species S. tuberosum ssp. tuberosum and S. tuberosum ssp. andigena, also called S. tuberosum Chilotanum Group and Andigenum Group, respectively, are the main representatives of this crop and contribute the most to the current human diet. These series contain a large number of related wild species that can contribute with genes for resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. Most of the potato varieties grown worldwide outside the Andean zones are descended from Solanum tuberosum Chilotanum Group.

Potato biodiversity worldwide is preserved in about 174 Genebanks that maintain ex situ approximately 30,000 potato accessions. In Chile, the Potato Genebank of the Universidad Austral de Chile contains 289 accessions of S. tuberosum ssp. tuberosum that have shown high genetic variability and presence of multiple characters of interest for resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. This material has a high potential for its use in breeding and the development of new varieties, therefore, the conservation of its diversity in situ and ex-situ is of the utmost importance since genetic resources today represent one of the most powerful strategies to face challenges such as global climate change and the increasing food demand of the world population in the short and long term, in a sustainable way. This review aims to address the biodiversity of the potato crop emphasising the genotypes present in Chile, considering the methods of conservation of the potato crop and the advances in potato breeding for the development of varieties that are more resistant to abiotic and biotics stresses.