Potato Grower

January 2018

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86 POTATO GROWER | JANUARY 2018 Feed me Feed me Feed me 5-28-0 with 10%Mg 168601Ostara12h.indd 1 10/27/17 9:47 AM Not only did it involve substantial re-sequencing of potato, but it also tackled one of the most diverse crop genomes. The modern potatoes found in today's kitchens are genetically complex tetraploid potatoes, having four times the regular number of chromosomes. Potatoes' complex genome harbors an estimated 39,000 genes. (In comparison, the human genome comprises roughly 20,000 genes.) From the large gene pool, the researchers identified 2,622 genes that drove the crop's early improvement when first domesticated. Studying the gene diversity spectrum, from its wild past to its cultivated present, can provide an essential source of untapped adaptive potential, Buell says. "We'll be able to identify and study historic introgressions and hybridization events as well as find genes targeted during domestication that control variance for agricultural traits," she says. "Many of these help focus on adapting to different climates, fending off different pathogens or improving yield, keys that we hope to better understand to improve future breeding efforts." For example, wild potatoes reproduce through berries and seeds. Cultivated potatoes are asexual and are food and seed in one. (Anyone who's left a potato in a dark pantry too long has witnessed this trait firsthand.) In the study, the researchers present evidence of the signatures of selection in genes controlling this change. They also shed light on a role of wild species in genetic pathways for fighting pests and processing sugars for food. Diving into somewhat obscure territory, they looked at potential genetic sources that control circadian rhythm; yes, plants also have 24-hour clocks controlling biological processes. "We knew about their physiological traits, but we didn't know what genes were involved," Buell says. "As potatoes were moved, they had to adapt to longer days, more hours of sunlight. We're now starting to understand what's happening at the genetic level and how wild Solanum species evolved to long-day adapted tetraploid potatoes." Additional Michigan State scientists contributing to this study include: Linsey Newton, John Hamilton, Brieanne Vaillancourt, Krystle Wiegert-Rininger, Joshua Wood, David Douches and Eva Farre. Scientists from Virginia Tech also were part of the research team.

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