"Identification of Chromosomal Locations in Potatoes Associated with Tuberization Related Traits Affected by Photoperiod Using SNP Markers"

Abstract

Developing potato varieties adapted to diverse environmental conditions requires an understanding of tuberization related traits. Many of these traits are affected by photoperiod. This study identified genetic markers associated with tuberization related traits. One hundred seventy one tetraploid breeding clones, developed by the International Potato Center, were used. Their tuberization related traits were evaluated under short (12 hours) and long (16 hours) photoperiod exposures, either at 75 or 90 days after planting. Clones were genotyped with the Potato SolCAP SNP array and 4,738 informative SNPs were analyzed for population structure, linkage disequilibrium, and for identifying associations between SNPs and tuberization related traits. In total, 84 significant markers were identified. Genome wide association analysis identified candidate markers for variety development through marker assisted selection. The 10 best clones for each tuberization related trait, based on their genome estimated breeding values, were identified for use in future breeding programs.