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The unculturable bacterium 'Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum' (CLso) is responsible for a growing number of emerging crop diseases. However, we know little about the diversity and ecology of CLso and its psyllid vectors outside of agricultural systems, which limits our ability to manage crop disease and understand the impacts this pathogen may have on wild plants in natural ecosystems. In North America, CLso is transmitted to crops by the native potato psyllid (Bactericera cockerelli). However, the geographic and host plant range of the potato psyllid and CLso beyond the borders of agriculture are not well understood. A recent study of historic herbarium specimens revealed that a unique haplotype of CLso was present infecting populations of the native perennial Solanum umbelliferum in California decades before CLso was first detected in crops. We hypothesized that this haplotype and other potentially novel CLso variants are still present in S. umbelliferum populations. To test this, we surveyed populations of S. umbelliferum in Southern California for CLso and potato psyllid vectors. We found multiple haplotypes of CLso and the potato psyllid associated with these populations, with none of these genetic variants having been previously reported in California crops. These results suggest that CLso and its psyllid vectors are much more widespread and diverse in North American natural plant communities than suggested by data collected solely from crops and weeds in agricultural fields. Further characterization of these apparently asymptomatic haplotypes will facilitate comparison with disease-causing variants and provide insights into the continued emergence and spread of CLso.

High-throughput sequencing-based methods for bulked segregant analysis (BSA) allow for the rapid identification of genetic markers associated with traits of interest. BSA studies have successfully identified qualitative (binary) and quantitative trait loci (QTLs) using QTL mapping. However, most require population structures that fit the models available and a reference genome. Instead, high-throughput short-read sequencing can be combined with BSA of k-mers (BSA-k-mer) to map traits that appear refractory to standard approaches. This method can be applied to any organism and is particularly useful for species with genomes diverged from the closest sequenced genome. It is also instrumental when dealing with highly heterozygous and potentially polyploid genomes without phased haplotype assemblies and for which a single haplotype can control a trait. Finally, it is flexible in terms of population structure. Here, we apply the BSA-k-mer method for the rapid identification of candidate regions related to seed spot and seed size in diploid potato. Using a mixture of F1 and F2 individuals from a cross between 2 highly heterozygous parents, candidate sequences were identified for each trait using the BSA-k-mer approach. Using parental reads, we were able to determine the parental origin of the loci. Finally, we mapped the identified k-mers to a closely related potato genome to validate the method and determine the genomic loci underlying these sequences. The location identified for the seed spot matches with previously identified loci associated with pigmentation in potato. The loci associated with seed size are novel. Both loci are relevant in future breeding toward true seeds in potato.

Intensive agriculture often comes at the expense of soil health. A shift towards practices that foster soil health will support yield and defences against pests and diseases. Growing crops in monoculture is the standard in modern agriculture, though strip‐cropping, in which different crops are planted in strips, is a promising strategy in the transition towards sustainable agriculture. Increasing crop diversity is hypothesized to positively influence arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), thereby enhancing soil health, but the mechanisms by which AMF‐plant symbioses contribute to higher yields and reduced pest populations in strip‐cropping systems remain unclear. We used a green‐house experiment with potato plants to explore the soil legacy effects of mono‐cropping versus strip‐cropping systems, AMF inoculation and aphid infestation on AMF root colonization, the induction of plant defences (untargeted LCMS‐based metabolomics), aphid population size and potato yield. We found that potato plants grown in strip‐cropping soil had higher AMF colonization than plants grown in mono‐cropping soil. Potato plants grown in strip‐cropping soil also had higher shoot nitrogen content, increased solamargine levels, and reduced aphid populations. AMF root colonization was only enhanced by the addition of commercial AMF in mono‐cropping soils. Potato plant metabolites were affected by strip‐cropping soil, including jasmonic acid (JA) derivatives. Structural equation models revealed that strip‐cropping soil directly reduced aphid populations and also had a negative direct effect on the JA precursor OPC‐8, and hydroxyJA‐glucosides, indicating complex effects of strip‐cropping soils on JA‐inducible plant defences. Indirect benefits of strip‐cropping soil and AMF inoculation on tuber yield were mediated by their direct positive effects on plant nitrogen content. Our results emphasize the potential of strip‐cropping to enhance AMF root colonization in the field. We show that soil legacy effects of strip‐cropping alter the plant metabolome in ways that suppress of aphid populations. Strip‐cropping legacy effects are the result of crop diversity, crop neighbour and edge effects resulting from crop management practices. While the mechanisms by which soil from strip‐cropping supresses pest populations still need to be identified, our study underscores the potential for strip‐cropping to enhance pest control and yield via soil mediated processes. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant-plant signalling via volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in response to insect herbivory has been widely studied, but its occurrence and specificity in response to pathogen attack has received much less attention. To fill this gap, we carried out a greenhouse experiment using two fungal pathogens (Fusarium solani and Phytophthora infestans) to test for specificity in VOC induction and signalling between potato plants (Solanum tuberosum). We paired potato plants in plastic cages, one acting as VOC emitter and the other as receiver, and subjected emitters to one of the following treatments: no infection (control), infected by F. solani, or infected by P. infestans. We measured total emission and composition of VOCs released by emitter plants to test for pathogen-specificity in VOC induction, and then conducted a pathogen infection bioassay to assess resistance levels on receiver plants by subjecting half of the receivers of each emitter treatment to F. solani infection and the other half to P. infestans infection. This allowed us to test for specificity in plant VOC signalling by comparing its effects on conspecific and heterospecific sequential infections. Results showed that infection by neither F. solani or P. infestans produced quantitative (total emissions) or qualitative (compositional) changes in VOC emissions. Mirroring these patterns, emitter infection treatment (control vs. pathogen infection) did not produce a significant change in pathogen infection levels on receiver plants in any case (i.e., either for conspecific or heterospecific sequential infections), indicating a lack of signalling effects which precluded pathogen-based specificity in signalling. We discuss possible mechanisms for lack of pathogen effects on VOC emissions and call for future work testing for pathogen specificity in plant-plant signalling and its implications for plant-pathogen interactions under ecologically relevant scenarios involving infections by multiple pathogens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sustainability of the primary sector is closely linked to meeting the demand for seeds using agro-industrial waste and bioresidues. Sustainability is a multidimensional concept focused on achieving environmental health, social justice, and economic viability. To this end, an experiment was designed based on a combination of biotechnological strategies accessible to many individuals. The first strategy involves the use of compost and vermicompost as cultivation substrates; the second is the in vitro acclimatization of potato plants to these substrates; and the third is the incorporation of Trichoderma asperellum into these substrates to determine the synergistic effect of both. The compost used in this work came from sewage sludge from an agri-food company (Cp); a dining room and pruning waste from a university campus (Cu); and vermicomposted coffee pulp waste (Cv). Each sample was mixed with coconut fiber (Fc) in proportions of 100, 75, 50, and 25%. In the resulting mixtures, María Bonita variety vitroplants were planted and placed in a greenhouse. The biometric response in the three cases indicated a dependence on the type of compost and the proportion of the coconut fiber mixture. The inoculation of Trichoderma asperellum with sewage sludge compost increased stem thickness (42.58%) and mini-tuber weight (6.74%). In contrast, uninoculated treatments showed the best performance in terms of the number of mini-tubers. A 50:50 mixture of sewage sludge compost with coconut fiber and without inoculation of Trichoderma asperellum was the best treatment for the production of pre-basic seeds of the María Bonita potato variety. The use of composted agricultural waste and bioresidues is shown as a valid and low-cost alternative for the sector, even independently of the incorporation of additional inoculants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the development of robots for agro-industrial applications, such as the cultivation of Solanum tuberosum potatoes, has aroused the interest of the academic and scientific communities. This is due, at least in part, to the complexity of modeling and robustly controlling some dynamics inherent to nonlinear behaviors normally attributed to the different technologies associated with the movement of these autonomous vehicles and their nonholonomic constraints. The different nonlinear dynamics of mobile robots are usually represented by state-space models. However, given some equilibrium and stability characteristics, the implementation of effective controllers for the robust parametric tracking and variation problem requires techniques that allow the operability of robots around regions of stable equilibrium. Feedback linearization control is one such technique that attempts to mathematically eliminate nonlinear expressions from the plant model. However, this technique requires an observable and controllable mathematical model. If there is some relationship between the model inputs and a controlled output that allows the relative degree of the control law to be determined, the controller design and implementation are posed as a linear issue. Flat filters developed from the generalized proportional integral control approach are an alternative that could facilitate the design of controllers for these linearized systems. From these flat filters, it is possible to obtain the transfer function of a controller without relying on the derivatives of the system output. This work proposes the design of a controller via exact linearization and its equivalent flat filter for a robot inspector of the soil resource of S. tuberosum crops in the department of Cundinamarca, Colombia. The actuator motion constraints resulted in a robot with two degrees of mobility and one non-holonomic constraint. Numerical validation of this system suggests that it can be an effective solution to the problem of tracking control at changing references by providing a system capable of navigating through crop rows. The results suggest correct tracking for linear and circular trajectories. However, the control lacks the ability to track spiral-type trajectories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Potato common scab (PCS), a significant potato disease, negatively impacts tuber quality. The present study was conducted to isolate and characterize pathogenic Streptomyces species associated with PCS disease in Türkiye based on their morphological, physiological and molecular characteristics. Field‐grown potatoes that exhibited scab lesions were collected from four provinces in 2020–2021, and 200 bacterial isolates were obtained from netted, superficial and deep‐pitted common scab lesions. Pathogenicity assays, including in vitro tuber slice and in planta radish seedling bioassays, identified 150 pathogenic isolates. Morphological and physiological characterization of 92 selected isolates revealed several Streptomyces species that exhibited diverse mycelium colours, sporulation patterns and pigmentation. Molecular analysis using 16S rRNA sequencing, species‐specific primers, PCR‐RFLP of the 16S‐23S (ITS) region with Hpy99I restriction enzyme, and multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) based on atpD, recA, rpoB and trpB genes revealed that S. scabiei was the dominant species, followed by S. europaeiscabiei, S. caniscabiei, S. bottropensis, S. stelliscabiei and S. turgidiscabies. PCR analysis revealed the presence of the thaxtomin synthetase genes (txtAB) in all tested samples, while the necrogenic protein (nec1) and tomatinase (tomA)‐encoding genes were absent from three and two isolates, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis of 32 representative isolates conducted with sequences from 16S rRNA, species‐specific PCR and MLSA confirmed their morphological identification and clustered them with reference strains. This study contributes to the understanding of distribution of Streptomyces species associated with PCS, and to our knowledge, is the first molecular confirmation of S. caniscabiei and S. turgidiscabies causing potato scab in Türkiye. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DEFENSE NO DEATH 1 (DND1) is a cyclic nucleotide-gated ion channel protein. Earlier, it was shown that the silencing of DND1 in the potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) leads to resistance to late blight, powdery mildew, and gray mold diseases. At the same time, however, it can reduce plant growth and cause leaf necrosis. To obtain knowledge of the molecular events behind the pleiotropic effect of DND1 downregulation in the potato, metabolite and transcriptome analyses were performed on three DND1 silenced lines of the cultivar 'Désirée.' A massive increase in the salicylic acid content of leaves was detected. Concentrations of jasmonic acid and chlorogenic acid and their derivatives were also elevated. Expression of 1866 genes was altered in the same way in all three DND1 silenced lines, including those related to the synthesis of secondary metabolites. The activation of several alleles of leaf rust, late blight, and other disease resistance genes, as well as the induction of pathogenesis-related genes, was detected. WRKY and NAC transcription factor families were upregulated, whereas bHLHs were downregulated, indicating their central role in transcriptome changes. These results suggest that the maintenance of the constitutive defense state leads to the reduced growth of DND1 silenced potato plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is of great economic importance for Mauritius. During a disease survey carried out in a field in one of the major potato‐growing regions of Mauritius, corky cracked lesions with halo and mycelial growth were observed on the skin surfaces of around 45% of tubers. The suspected fungus from the affected areas was isolated on amended potato dextrose agar and after 7 days, several fast‐growing, pale brown Rhizoctonia‐like colonies with a few sclerotia were observed. Additionally, microscopic analysis revealed some cells being multinucleate, forming hyphal branching at right angles with slight constriction together with septum near the branch base. Pathogenicity tests confirmed development of the same symptoms on potato tubers and the causal agent was reisolated successfully. Sequence analysis of the ITS region of representative isolate P114 amplified using ITS1F/ITS4 primers showed that it was identical to several isolates of multinucleate Rhizoctonia solani AG‐4 HGI, and neighbour‐joining phylogenetic analyses confirmed the identification. To our knowledge, this is the first report of R. solani AG‐4 HGI‐infecting potato tubers and causing corky cracks in Mauritius. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2022, potato plants exhibiting symptoms of stem canker were observed in commercial fields in northern Sinaloa, Mexico. Morphological characterisation of two isolates allowed the identification of Ceratobasidium sp., whereas molecular analysis using sequences of the ITS region and the rpb2 gene distinguished the isolates within the Anastomosis Group A (AG‐A). Both isolates induced symptoms of stem canker on inoculated potato plants and exhibited median EC50 values of 19.46, 5.20, 62.71 and 0.33 μg mL−1 for the fungicides thiophanate methyl, pyraclostrobin, prochloraz and penflufen, respectively. However, the two isolates differed by > 65‐fold in their EC50 value relative to pyraclostrobin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grafting is a traditional research and crop production technique used to study the long-distance movement of molecules, reduce disease susceptibility, and improve yield, quality, and nutrient content. Tomato/potato grafts are rare examples of successful interspecies grafting, even resulting in commercially available products. Nevertheless, information on the effect of tomato on the quality parameters of potato tubers is scarce. In this study, the tomato cultivar 'Mobil' was grafted with the potato cultivars 'White Lady', 'Hópehely', and 'Désirée', and the phenotype, metabolite composition, and starch and protein contents of the tubers were analysed. Anthocyanins were isolated from the tuber skins, and the expression level of the transcription factor ANTHOCYANIN1 (StAN1) was evaluated. Out of the 112 identified metabolites, the concentrations of twelve compounds were altered in the same direction in all three cultivars. Compared to the self-grafted control, the starch content of tubers was increased in each cultivar, while the protein level remained unaltered in 'White Lady' and 'Hópehely'. The oval tubers became roundish. The tomato scion increased the anthocyanin content of 'Hópehely' and 'Désirée' tuber skins, which was correlated with the upregulation of StAN1 expression. These results indicate that tomato scion has a significant impact on the quality parameters of potato tubers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article titled "Sclerotinia sclerotiorum in beans and potatoes in Sinaloa: Etiology, epidemiology, and management alternatives" describes the disease of white mold in bean and potato crops in Sinaloa. The symptoms and signs of the disease are detailed, as well as the cultural and morphological characteristics of the pathogen. The implementation of a prediction system for disease management is also addressed, which includes soil temperature and crop flowering. It is mentioned that the fungi Trichoderma harzianum, T. viride, and T. atroviride have been shown to be effective in controlling white mold in the field. New lines of research are proposed to improve disease management. [Extracted from the article]

Glycoside hydrolases (GHs) are important in metabolic processes involving diverse carbohydrate-based substances found inside plant tissues. Potatoes (Solanum tuberosum) are rich in starchy carbohydrates, suggesting the role of GHs in their metabolic pathways. In this study, we examine the GH superfamily in potato where 366 potential GHs were identified using a similarity search method. Genes were subjected to further characterisation to gain insights into their structural composition, functional properties and distribution patterns across tissue types. Several in silico methodologies were also employed to investigate the physicochemical features, conserved motifs, chromosomal mapping, duplication events, syntenic links with tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), subcellular localisations, secondary structures and phylogenetic relationships. Cis -elements in StGHs revealed that the promoters of StGHs contain cis -elements that are responsive to phytohormones that are involved in plant growth and development, and are associated with stress responses. RNA-seq data identified significant changes in expression levels of GH16, GH17 , GH18 , GH19 and GH28 members under stress conditions. Expression patterns of several GHs were confirmed using real time quantitative PCR in response to stress. StGH16.24 expression increased after 3 days of drought stress, whereas StGH16.30 continuously increased under salt stress. Potential interactions between potato miRNAs and StGH revealed 393 and 627 interactions under drought and salt stress, respectively. Our findings offer insights into specific functions of GHs in diverse developmental stages and stress-related challenges in potato and other plants. Glycoside hydrolases (GHs) are involved in plant defence, cell wall metabolism and stress response. A total of 366 GH superfamily genes were identified in potato (Solanum tuberosum). Differential expression analysis indicated the involvement of GHs in various tissues, abiotic stress and biotic stresses, with specific genes showing significant changes in expression levels under drought and salt stress. Real time qPCR analysis revealed that StGH16.24 expression increased significantly after 3 days of drought stress, validating the presence of ABRE, MYB and MYC cis -regulatory elements. This article belongs to the Collection Functional Genomics for Developing Climate Resilient Crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Potato (Solanum tuberosum) is an essential crop for food security and is ranked as the third most important crop worldwide for human consumption. The Diacol Capiro cultivar holds the dominant position in Colombian cultivation, primarily catering to the food processing industry. This highly heterozygous, autotetraploid cultivar belongs to the Andigenum group and it stands out for its adaptation to a wide variety of environments spanning altitudes from 1,800 to 3,200 meters above sea level. Here, a chromosome-scale assembly, referred to as DC, is presented for this cultivar. The assembly was generated by combining circular consensus sequencing with proximity ligation Hi-C for the scaffolding and represents 2.369 Gb with 48 pseudochromosomes covering 2,091 Gb and an anchor rate of 88.26%. The reference genome metrics, including an N50 of 50.5 Mb, a BUSCO (Benchmarking Universal Single-Copy Orthologue) score of 99.38%, and an Long Terminal Repeat Assembly Index score of 13.53, collectively signal the achieved high assembly quality. A comprehensive annotation yielded a total of 154,114 genes, and the associated BUSCO score of 95.78% for the annotated sequences attests to their completeness. The number of predicted NLR (Nucleotide-Binding and Leucine-Rich-Repeat genes) was 2107 with a large representation of NBARC (for nucleotide binding domain shared by Apaf-1, certain R gene products, and CED-4) containing domains (99.85%). Further comparative analysis of the proposed annotation-based assembly with high-quality known potato genomes, showed a similar genome metrics with differences in total gene numbers related to the ploidy status. The genome assembly and annotation of DC presented in this study represent a valuable asset for comprehending potato genetics. This resource aids in targeted breeding initiatives and contributes to the creation of enhanced, resilient, and more productive potato varieties, particularly beneficial for countries in Latin America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Potato, being an important food crop, persuades the researchers owing to its edible nutrition-rich tubers. • This short-review critically analyses how physical and chemical factors influence in vitro regeneration of potato. • Features main obstacles and possible solutions to warrant high-frequency regeneration of propagules. • Identifies research gaps that need to be addressed to ensure an enhanced micropropagation system. Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is one of the most important food crops widely cultivated worldwide due to its edible and nutrition-rich tubers. It is a temperate crop; however, currently, it is grown in a wide range of areas with distinctive climatic conditions. Traditionally, potato is propagated by whole or cut tubers and true potato seeds. Owing to the low rate of multiplication and high cost of cultivation to produce virus-free planting material during traditional propagation, the in vitro technique becomes an alternative approach to conventional propagation. Over the past ten years, significant advancements have been made in the optimization of protocols for several varieties/cultivars of potato via a direct regeneration-mediated approach. The present short-review illustrates the analysis of an array of significant published findings on various physical and chemical variables that are responsible for fruitful in vitro direct regeneration and microtuberization of potato. Furthermore, this short-review describes a number of undiscovered areas, research gaps, and major problems that might be accounted for advancing noteworthy ingenious approaches associated with potato biotechnology in the near future. The current short-review further addresses salient recommendations and conclusions (based on achievements during the last ten-year period), paving the way for potato researchers to work on several unexplored areas in the coming years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Protein complexes from edible oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus sp.) composed of pleurotolysin A2 (PlyA2) and pleurotolysin B (PlyB) exert toxicity in feeding tests against Colorado potato beetle (CPB) larvae, acting through the interaction with insect‐specific membrane sphingolipid. Here we present a new strategy for crop protection, based on in planta production of PlyA2/PlyB protein complexes, and we exemplify this strategy in construction of transgenic potato plants of cv Désirée. The transgenics in which PlyA2 was directed to the vacuole and PlyB to the endoplasmic reticulum are effectively protected from infestation by CPB larvae without impacting plant performance. These transgenic plants showed a pronounced effect on larval feeding rate, the larvae feeding on transgenic plants being on average five to six folds lighter than larvae feeding on controls. Further, only a fraction (11%–37%) of the larvae that fed on transgenic potato plants completed their life cycle and developed into adult beetles. Moreover, gene expression analysis of CPB larvae exposed to PlyA2/PlyB complexes revealed the response indicative of a general stress status of larvae and no evidence of possibility of developing resistance due to the functional inactivation of PlyA2/PlyB sphingolipid receptors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Potato production in Mexico is affected by Rhizoctonia solani, causing severe yield losses. The most important criterion for distinguishing R. solani isolates is differentiation by anastomosis groups (AGs). However, the limitations of traditional AG differentiation have prompted the use of DNA sequence analysis as a valuable tool for distinguishing AGs. This study aimed to determine the diversity of anastomosis groups and the aggressiveness of R. solani isolates collected from commercial potato fields in northern Sinaloa, Mexico. A total of 118 R. solani isolates were obtained from symptomatic sprouts and tubers collected from 32 commercial fields distributed in the municipalities of Ahome, Guasave and El Fuerte in northern Sinaloa, Mexico. Fifty-two representative isolates were selected for anastomosis group determination and pathogenicity tests. Phylogenetic analysis with rpb2 gene sequences clearly distinguished 30 isolates belonging to AG-3 PT and 22 isolates to AG-4 HGI. The aggressiveness of these R. solani isolates was evaluated using mini-tubers of potato cv. Fianna, and colonized rice grains were used as inoculum source. The disease severity caused by R. solani on potato plants was evaluated 40 days after emergence. Aggressiveness was estimated as the percentage of necrotic area on underground stems. The results revealed that all R. solani isolates were pathogenic and differences were observed in aggressiveness among the isolates. Of the total of 52 isolates evaluated, 7% were highly aggressive; 61% had intermediate aggressiveness; and 32% exhibited low aggressiveness. These findings regarding the diversity of anastomosis groups and the aggressiveness of R. solani isolates in northern Sinaloa are fundamental for subsequent epidemiology and fungicide resistance studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India is considered the second world's major potato producing and consuming country after China. To determine the processing nutrient quality using standard protocols, 86 diverse potato genotypes were evaluated for different parameters under mid-hill conditions in Himachal Pradesh (Kufri-Shimla), India. Dry matter, specific gravity, TSS, protein, starch, glucose, carotenoids, Vit-C, and anthocyanin contents ranged from 16.35 ~ 28.36%, 1.06 ~ 1.113 (kg/L), 4.86 ~ 6.79 (oBrix), 0.83 ~ 3.43%, 10.59 ~ 20.72%, 10.73 ~ 25.13 (g/kg), 55.89 ~ 516.53 (mg/kg FW), 16.53 ~ 28.23 (mg/kg FW), respectively. Anthocyanin content in the flesh, skin, and whole tubers ranged from 0.07 ~ 8.34, 0 ~ 3.17, and 2.47 ~ 34.80 mg/kg FW, respectively. CP-4104, 4085(6), CP-4116, SSP. Andigina, B. 6739–2, BR 6609–7, MISO VALLEY, JUICE VALLEY, and TPS-13, which contained high dry matter (>20%), starch (>13%), specific gravity (>1.08), and total phenols in whole tubers (<30) are suitable for processing. One-way ANOVA analysis revealed significant differences for all these parameters. White, cream, and too-yellow coloured tubers producing genotypes took first place in this experiment among all-genotype tubers. Our lines namely Andigina, B 6739–2, 4085(6), and CP-4104 may be considered for processing given the quality of their potatoes produced. Based on our results, our study will conclude that several landraces available worldwide can be utilized in future breeding programs to develop new varieties that can produce processing-quality tuber. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Potato tubers are reproductive and storage organs, enabling their survival. Unraveling the molecular mechanisms that regulate tuberization is crucial for understanding how potatorespond to environmental stress situations and for potato breeding. Previously, we did a transcriptomic analysis of potato microtuberization without light. This showed that important cellular processes like ribosomal proteins, cell cycle, carbon metabolism, oxidative stress, fatty acids, and phytosterols (PS) biosynthesis were closely connected in a protein–protein interaction (PPI) network. Research on PS function during potato tuberization has been scarce. PS plays a critical role in regulating membrane permeability and fluidity, and they are biosynthetic precursors of brassinosteroids (BRs) in plants, which are critical in regulating gene expression, cell division, differentiation, and reproductive biology. Within a PPI network, we found a module of 15 genes involved in the PS biosynthetic process. Darkness, as expected, activated the mevalonate (MVA) pathway. There was a tight interaction between three coding gene products for HMGR3, MVD2, and FPS1, and the gene products that synthetize PS, including CAS1, SMO1, BETAHSD, CPI1, CYP51, FACKEL, HYDRA1, SMT2, SMO2, STE1, and SSR1. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) confirmed the expression analysis of ten specific genes involved in the biosynthesis of PS. This manuscript discusses the potential role of genes involved in PS biosynthesis during microtuber development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colletotrichum coccodes is an important pathogen of potatoes. Recently, the closely related C. nigrum has been reported as an important pathogen of solanaceous crops but not as a pathogen of potato. This study confirms C. coccodes as the most prevalent Colletotrichum species infecting foliar and tuber tissue of potatoes in Australia and the USA. In addition, three isolates from the USA, previously identified as C. coccodes, were re-identified as C. nigrum. The gene loci TUB2, ACT, GAPDH, CHS-1 or HIS3 were all suitable for differentiating C. nigrum from C. coccodes. Australian and USA tuber and foliar isolates of C. coccodes and C. nigrum had similar pathogenicity on detached potato leaves. This is the first report of C. nigrum as a pathogen of potato. Moreover, the recently described C. dianense was revealed to be a synonym of C. nigrum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Main conclusion: Ants, but not mycorrhizae, significantly affected insect leaf-chewing herbivory on potato plants. However, there was no evidence of mutualistic interactive effects on herbivory. Plants associate with both aboveground and belowground mutualists, two prominent examples being ants and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), respectively. While both of these mutualisms have been extensively studied, joint manipulations testing their independent and interactive (non-additive) effects on plants are rare. To address this gap, we conducted a joint test of ant and AMF effects on herbivory by leaf-chewing insects attacking potato (Solanum tuberosum) plants, and further measured plant traits likely mediating mutualist effects on herbivory. In a field experiment, we factorially manipulated the presence of AMF (two levels: control and mycorrhization) and ants (two levels: exclusion and presence) and quantified the concentration of leaf phenolic compounds acting as direct defenses, as well as plant volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions potentially mediating direct (e.g., herbivore repellents) or indirect (e.g., ant attractants) defense. Moreover, we measured ant abundance and performed a dual-choice greenhouse experiment testing for effects of VOC blends (mimicking those emitted by control vs. AMF-inoculated plants) on ant attraction as a mechanism for indirect defense. Ant presence significantly reduced herbivory whereas mycorrhization had no detectable influence on herbivory and mutualist effects operated independently. Plant trait measurements indicated that mycorrhization had no effect on leaf phenolics but significantly increased VOC emissions. However, mycorrhization did not affect ant abundance and there was no evidence of AMF effects on herbivory operating via ant-mediated defense. Consistently, the dual-choice assay showed no effect of AMF-induced volatile blends on ant attraction. Together, these results suggest that herbivory on potato plants responds mainly to top-down (ant-mediated) rather than bottom-up (AMF-mediated) control, an asymmetry in effects which could have precluded mutualist non-additive effects on herbivory. Further research on this, as well as other plant systems, is needed to examine the ecological contexts under which mutualist interactive effects are more or less likely to emerge and their impacts on plant fitness and associated communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High temperatures during the crop growing season are becoming more frequent and unpredictable, resulting in reduced crop productivity and quality. Heat stress disrupts plant metabolic processes that affect cell membrane composition and integrity. Cell membrane permeability, ion leakage, and heat shock proteins have been evaluated to screen for heat tolerance in plants. In potatoes, it is unclear whether leaf membrane stability under heat stress is correlated with underground tuber productivity and quality. The main goal of this study was to evaluate if leaf membrane relative electrolyte conductivity (REC) under high temperatures could be used to identify heat-tolerant potato genotypes. Electrolyte leakage assays, correlation estimations, and genome-wide association studies were carried out in 215 genotypes. Expression levels of small heat shock protein 18 (sHSP18) were evaluated in the heat-sensitive potato variety Russet Burbank and compared with those of the heat-tolerant variety Vanguard Russet using Western blotting. Significant differences were observed among genotypes for leaf membrane REC under extreme heat (50°C); REC values ranged from 47.0–99.5%. Leaf membrane REC was positively correlated with tuber external and internal defects and negatively correlated with yield. REC was negatively correlated with the content of several tuber minerals, such as nitrogen, magnesium, and manganese. Eleven quantitative trait loci (QTLs) were identified for leaf membrane REC, explaining up to 13.8% of the phenotypic variance. Gene annotation in QTL areas indicated associations with genes controlling membrane solute transport and plant responses to abiotic stresses. Vanguard Russet had lower leaf REC and higher expression of sHSP18 under high-temperature stress. Our findings indicate that leaf membrane REC under high temperatures can be used as an indicator of potato heat tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cultivated potato, Solanum tuberosum L., is considered an autotetraploid with 12 chromosomes with four homologous phases. However, recent evidence found that, due to frequent large phase deletions in the genome, gene ploidy is not constant across the genome. The elite cultivar "Otava" was found to have an average gene copy number of 3.2 across all loci. Breeding programs for elite potato cultivars rely increasingly on genomic prediction tools for selection breeding and elucidation of quantitative trait loci underpinning trait genetic variance. These are typically based on anonymous single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers, which are usually called from, for example, SNP array or sequencing data using a tetraploid model. In this study, we analyzed the impact of using whole genome markers genotyped as either tetraploid or observed allele frequencies from genotype-by-sequencing data on single-trait additive genomic best linear unbiased prediction (GBLUP) genomic prediction (GP) models and single-marker regression genome-wide association studies of potato to evaluate the implications of capturing varying ploidy on the statistical models employed in genomic breeding. A panel of 762 offspring of a diallel cross of 18 parents of elite breeding material was used for modeling. These were genotyped by sequencing and phenotyped for five key performance traits: chipping quality, length/width ratio, senescence, dry matter content, and yield. We also estimated the read coverage required to confidently discriminate between a heterozygous triploid and tetraploid state from simulated data. It was found that using a tetraploid model neither impaired nor improved genomic predictions compared to using the observed allele frequencies that account for true marker ploidy. In genome-wide associations studies (GWAS), very minor variations of both signal amplitude and number of SNPs supporting both minor and major quantitative trait loci (QTLs) were observed between the two data sets. However, all major QTLs were reproducible using both data sets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is one of the most important food crops in Korea. In July 2021 and 2022, dark black-rot symptoms with pink tinges were observed on field-grown potato tubers in Hongsung and Chuncheon, Korea, respectively. We obtained four isolates (HSv05 and HSv10 from Hongsung, and CCp03 and CCp05 from Chuncheon) from diseased tubers and identified these isolates as Pythium aphanidermatum by analyzing the sequences of internal transcribed spacer rDNA region and mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit II (COX2) mtDNA gene. Additionally, we compared the cultural and morphological characteristics of these four isolates with those of the reference isolate KACC 48066 of P. aphanidermatum and the literature. Further, we tested the pathogenicity of all these isolates against potato tubers. The cultural and morphological characteristics of the four test isolates were similar to those of the reference isolate and the literature; all four test isolates proved pathogenic to potato tubers. Therefore, we concluded that P. aphanidermatum is the causal agent of potato leak and this is the first report of the disease on potato in Korea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) seed production using the aeroponic system has been widely implemented in Indonesia. However, aeroponic systems in tropical areas such as Indonesia faced obstacles in the form of high wilt attacks caused by the bacteria Ralstonia solanacearum. This research aimed to control R. solanacearum wilt disease in an aeroponic system using various microbes. The research was carried out from September 2022 to January 2023. This research consisted of four stages, namely exploration and isolation of microorganisms, identification of microbial antagonism, testing of in vitro potential microbial antagonism and testing of selected microbial antagonism in the aeroponic system. The nutrients used in the aeroponic system contained R. solanacearum with a concentration of 104 CFU mL-1, while the concentration of the microbial solution used was 108 CFU mL-1. Pseudomonas fluorescence was consistently the best microbe both in vitro and in aeroponics, whereas Bacillus subtilis could only overcome wilt in vitro and could not overcome wilt in aeroponic system. Pseudomonas fluorescence required 5 min soaking time and could increase wilt with increasing soaking time. The consortium between B. subtilis and P. fluorescence with 10 min soaking time could overcome wilt by 85% and increase the number of tubers and tuber weight by 79% and 85%, respectively, so this prospective microbial consortium could be applied to aeroponic systems environmentally friendly in tropical areas with high R. solanacearum opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the intensifying global warming trend, extreme heat and drought are becoming more frequent, seriously impacting potato yield and quality. To maintain sustainable potato production, it is necessary to breed new potato varieties that are adaptable to environmental changes and tolerant to adversity. Despite its importance, there is a significant gap in research focused on the potential mechanisms of potato resistance to abiotic stresses like drought and high temperatures. This article provides a comprehensive review of the recent research available in academic databases according to subject keywords about potato drought tolerance and high temperature tolerance with a view to providing an important theoretical basis for the study of potato stress mechanism and the selection and breeding of potato varieties with drought and high-temperature resistance. The suitable relative soil moisture content for potato growth and development is 55% to 85%, and the suitable temperature is 15 °C to 25 °C. The growth and development of potato plants under drought and high-temperature stress conditions are inhibited, and plant morphology is altered, which affects the process of potato stolon formation, tuberization and expansion, ultimately leading to a significant reduction in potato tuber yields and a remarkable degradation of the market grade of tubers, the specific gravity of tubers, and the processing quality of tubers. In addition, stress also adversely affects potato physiological and biochemical characteristics, such as reduction in root diameter and leaf area, decrease in net photosynthetic rate of leaves, production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and increase in membrane lipid peroxidation. In addition, various types of genes and transcription factors are involved in the response to drought and heat at the molecular level in potato. This paper illustrates the effects of stress on potato growth and development and the molecular mechanisms of potato response to adversity in detail, which is intended to reduce the damage caused by drought and high temperature to potato in the context of global warming and frequent occurrence of extreme weather to ensure potato yield and quality and to further safeguard food security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phytopathogenic bacteria of the genus Pectobacterium are responsible for several diseases that affect potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) production worldwide, including blackleg and tuber soft rot. These bacteria are highly diverse, with over 17 different species currently identified. However, some of the recently described species, such as Pectobacterium punjabense, are still poorly understood. In this study, we focused on P. punjabense isolates collected from diseased potato tubers in Russia in 2021. Whole-genome sequencing was used to characterise the genomic diversity of the pathogen and determine the biochemical profiles of the isolated bacteria. The ability of these isolates to cause soft rot symptoms was tested. A comparative assessment of the potential pathogenicity of the Pectobacterium isolates was conducted by infecting potato tubers and measuring the accumulation of biomass in a liquid medium during cultivation at different temperatures. A TaqMan qPCR assay was developed for the highly sensitive and specific characterisation of P. punjabense strains, which can be used in diagnostic systems. This is the first report on P. punjabense causing potato disease in the Russian Federation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of pesticides is an efficient approach for pest management. However, their increasing application in recent decades has come under the spotlight of world policies. In this context, this study addresses the usefulness of a forecasting model (TOMCAST) combined with aerobiological information and a plant development model (physiological days, PDays) for the control of early blight in potatoes in Northwest Spain. Control plots were compared to treated plots, according to the original TOMCAST model and the daily Alternaria spp. concentration, meteorological factors, and phenological and epidemiological observations were monitored for better adjustment of the TOMCAST model to the weather conditions of the geographical area during three crop seasons. The results of the linear regression analysis showed a strong relationship between the parameters included in TOMCAST (leaf wetness and temperature) and the Alternaria spp. conidia concentration. In addition, an unbalanced pattern of trapped conidia was detected throughout the growing season, with an increase near the flowering stage. The epidemiological parameters (infection period, r-AUDPC, maximum severity value, and total and commercial yields) showed significant differences between the cultivars in the control and the TOMCAST plots in terms of r-AUDPC and the maximum severity value. Given the study's results, the original TOMCAST model was improved with aerobiological and phenological information. The improved model recommends a first spray on a day when the following three requirements are met: Ten accumulated disease severity values (DSVs) according to the TOMCAST model, two days with an aerobiological level greater than 10 conidia/m3, and a PDays value greater than 200. This will reduce the number of fungicide treatments used to control early blight in potato crops, promoting the principles of sustainable agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Astrid Widhowaty Santoso,1,&ast; Eri Amalia,2,&ast; Kartika Indah Sari,3 Veni Takarini,4 Irna Sufiawati5,&ast; 1Oral Medicine Residency Program, Faculty of Dentistry, Universitas Padjadjaran, Bandung, Indonesia; 2Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Padjadjaran, Bandung, Indonesia; 3Department of Oral Biology, Faculty of Dentistry, Universitas Padjadjaran, Bandung, Indonesia; 4Department of Dental Material Science and Technology, Faculty of Dentistry, Universitas Padjadjaran, Bandung, Indonesia; 5Department of Oral Medicine, Faculty of Dentistry, Universitas Padjadjaran, Bandung, Indonesia&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Irna Sufiawati, Department of Oral Medicine, Faculty of Dentistry, Universitas Padjadjaran, Jalan Sekeloa No. 1, Bandung, West Java, 40132, Indonesia, Tel +62-22-2504985, Email irna.sufiawati@unpad.ac.idIntroduction: Oral mucosal wounds present significant clinical challenges due to their susceptibility to infection, inflammation, and delayed healing. The limitation of standard anti-inflammatory drugs (both steroidal and non-steroidal) highlights the urgent need for plant-derived alternative therapies. Granola potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) from Pangalengan, West Java, Indonesia, has shown promise due to its bioactive compounds. However, its potential for wound healing and anti-inflammatory effects, specifically for oral mucosal wounds, remains largely unexplored.Purpose: To evaluate the wound healing and anti-inflammatory activity of Granola potato peel ethanol extract (GPPEE) on the oral mucosa of Wistar rats based on histopathological analysis.Materials and Methods: Forty-eight Wistar rats were wounded on the palatal mucosa using a 4 mm punch biopsy and subsequently divided into four groups: placebo gel, 0.1% triamcinolone acetonide ointment (TCA), 4% GPPEE gel, and 6% GPPEE gel. The rats were euthanized on days 0, 1, 3, 7, and 14. Histopathological parameters assessed included fibroblast proliferation, collagen deposition, angiogenesis, and the presence of inflammatory cells.Results: Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of phenolic compounds, flavonoids, tannins, and alkaloids in the Granola potato peel ethanol extract (GPPEE). Significant differences in the number of inflammatory cells were observed on days 1, 3, 7, and 14 (p< 0.05), with the groups treated with 4% and 6% GPPEE gel initially exhibiting pro-inflammatory effects on day 3, followed by significant anti-inflammatory effects on days 7 and 14. The 6% GPPEE gel treatment demonstrated a notable increase in fibroblasts on days 1, 7, and 14 (p< 0.05), as well as collagen deposition on days 7 and 14 (p< 0.05). However, no significant difference was observed in angiogenesis (p> 0.05).Conclusion: The application of 4% and 6% GPPEE gel demonstrated superior wound healing efficacy compared to 0.1% TCA and exhibited comparable anti-inflammatory activity to 0.1% TCA.Keywords: anti-inflammatory, granola, oral ulcer, potato peel extract, Solanum tuberosum, wound healing

Abstract DEFENSE NO DEATH 1 (DND1) is a cyclic nucleotide-gated ion channel protein. Earlier, it was shown that the silencing of DND1 in the potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) leads to resistance to late blight, powdery mildew, and gray mold diseases. At the same time, however, it can reduce plant growth and cause leaf necrosis. To obtain knowledge of the molecular events behind the pleiotropic effect of DND1 downregulation in the potato, metabolite and transcriptome analyses were performed on three DND1 silenced lines of the cultivar ‘Désirée.’ A massive increase in the salicylic acid content of leaves was detected. Concentrations of jasmonic acid and chlorogenic acid and their derivatives were also elevated. Expression of 1866 genes was altered in the same way in all three DND1 silenced lines, including those related to the synthesis of secondary metabolites. The activation of several alleles of leaf rust, late blight, and other disease resistance genes, as well as the induction of pathogenesis-related genes, was detected. WRKY and NAC transcription factor families were upregulated, whereas bHLHs were downregulated, indicating their central role in transcriptome changes. These results suggest that the maintenance of the constitutive defense state leads to the reduced growth of DND1 silenced potato plants.

Among the many diseases that affect potato plants, viral infections are the most common and cause significant damage to farms, affecting both the yield and quality of potatoes. In this regard, an important condition for preserving the potato seed fund in Russia is systematic monitoring and early highly specific detection of potato viral infections. The purpose of the work is to study samples of potato varieties collected in the Novosibirsk region for the presence of viral infections using RT-PCR. 130 potato plants from three districts of the Novosibirsk region (NR) were studied. As a result of monitoring, the following viruses were identified: PVY (potato virus Y), PVS (potato virus S), PVM (potato virus M) and PVX (potato virus X). The quarantine pathogen potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTVd) was not detected in any of the samples analyzed. The maximum frequency of occurrence in the region was noted for three viruses: PVY, PVM and PVS. A significant proportion of the samples were mixed viral infections: the occurrence of the combination of infection PVY + PVM in plants was 25.0 %, and PVY + PVS, 22.6 %. To develop methods for determining the strain affiliation of the studied samples, the nucleotide sequences of the capsid protein genes of 10 Y-virus isolates were sequenced. Phylogenetic analysis of the studied sequences of NR isolates was carried out with a set of sequences of reference strains 261-4, Eu-N, N:O, NE-11, NTNa, NTNb, N-Wi, O, O5, SYR_I, SYR_II and SYR_III retrieved from GenBank. As a result of phylogenetic analysis, it was established that NR viral samples fell into two groups of strains: group 1, which also includes isolates of the reference strains 261-4/SYR_III, and group 2, NTNa. The obtained results of the strain affiliation of NR samples lay the basis for the development of DNA and immunodiagnostic systems for identifying PVY circulating in NR, as well as for elucidating the source and routes of entry of specific virus strains.

Abstract Background This study aimed to evaluate the suitability of using drain water as a source of irrigation and its effects along with salicylic acid on morphological, anatomical, physico-chemical as well as yield attributes of potato. For this study, potato tubers were grown in pots and irrigated with different concentrations of drain water. Salicylic acid treatments vis. 0, 0.5 and 1.0 mM were applied foliarly. Pre- and post-harvest analysis was carried out to determine different attributes of soil, water and plants after 60 days. Results The growth of potato plant was increased as the concentration of SA increased through increasing shoot length, fresh/dry weight and tuber number/plant. In this research work, plant respond to overcome metal stresses by up regulating antioxidant defense system such as, peroxidase, catalase and superoxide dismutase) by application of highest treatment of SA when irrigated with 6% drain water. Plants accumulated the highest concentrations of Cd, Cr, and Pb in the leaves when treated with 1 mM of SA, compared to other plant parts. It was observed that photosynthetic pigment enhanced in 6% drain water treated plants when applied with 1mM SA as compared to control. An increase in epidermis and cortical cell thickness, as well as stomatal closure, was observed, helping to maintain water loss under stress conditions. Conclusions According to these results, it can be suggested that SA is potent signaling molecule can play an essential role in maintaining potato growth when irrigated with drain water containing heavy metals through stimulating metal up take and up regulation of antioxidant enzymes.

BACKGROUND: Zinc-biofortified potatoes have considerable potential to reduce zinc deficiency because of their low levels of phytate, an inhibitor of zinc absorption, and their high consumption, especially in the Andean region of Peru. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to measure fractional and total zinc absorption from a test meal of biofortified compared with regular potatoes. METHODS: We undertook a single-blinded randomized crossover study (using 67Zn and 70Zn stable isotopes) in which 37 women consumed 500-g biofortified or regular potatoes twice a day. Urine samples were collected to determine fractional and total zinc absorption. RESULTS: The zinc content of the biofortified potato and regular potato was 0.48 (standard deviation [SD]: 0.02) and 0.32 (SD: 0.03) mg/100 g fresh weight, respectively. Mean fractional zinc absorption (FZA) from the biofortified potatoes was lower than from the regular potatoes, 20.8% (SD: 5.4%) and 25.5% (SD: 7.0%), respectively (P < 0.01). However, total zinc absorbed was significantly higher (0.49; SD: 0.13 and 0.40; SD: 0.11 mg/500 g, P < 0.01, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study demonstrate that biofortified potatoes provide more absorbable zinc than regular potatoes. Zinc-biofortified potatoes could contribute toward reducing zinc deficiency in populations where potatoes are a staple food. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT05154500.

Abstract Climate change is predicted to increase the occurrence of extreme weather events such as heatwaves, which may thereby impact the outcome of plant-herbivore interactions. While elevated temperature is known to directly affect herbivore growth, it remains largely unclear if it indirectly influences herbivore performance by affecting the host plant they feed on. In this study, we investigated how transient exposure to high temperature influences plant herbivory-induced defenses at the transcript and metabolic level. To this end, we studied the interaction between potato (Solanum tuberosum) plants and the larvae of the potato tuber moth (Phthorimaea operculella) under different temperature regimes. We found that P. operculella larvae grew heavier on leaves co-stressed by high temperature and insect herbivory than on leaves pre-stressed by herbivory alone. We also observed that high temperature treatments altered phylotranscriptomic patterns upon herbivory, which changed from an evolutionary hourglass pattern, in which transcriptomic responses at early and late time points after elicitation are more variable than the ones in the middle, to a vase pattern. Specifically, transcripts of many herbivory-induced genes in the early and late defense stage were suppressed by HT treatment, whereas those in the intermediate stage peaked earlier. Additionally, we observed that high temperature impaired the induction of jasmonates and defense compounds upon herbivory. Moreover, using jasmonate-reduced (JA-reduced, irAOC) and -elevated (JA-Ile-elevated, irCYP94B3s) potato plants, we showed that high temperature suppresses JA signaling mediated plant-induced defense to herbivore attack. Thus, our study provides evidences on how temperature reprograms plant-induced defense to herbivores.

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is one of the most important food crops in Korea. In July 2021 and 2022, dark black-rot symptoms with pink tinges were observed on field-grown potato tubers in Hongsung and Chuncheon, Korea, respectively. We obtained four isolates (HSv05 and HSv10 from Hongsung, and CCp03 and CCp05 from Chuncheon) from diseased tubers and identified these isolates as Pythium aphanidermatum by analyzing the sequences of internal transcribed spacer rDNA region and mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit II (COX2) mtDNA gene. Additionally, we compared the cultural and morphological characteristics of these four isolates with those of the reference isolate KACC 48066 of P. aphanidermatum and the literature. Further, we tested the pathogenicity of all these isolates against potato tubers. The cultural and morphological characteristics of the four test isolates were similar to those of the reference isolate and the literature; all four test isolates proved pathogenic to potato tubers. Therefore, we concluded that P. aphanidermatum is the causal agent of potato leak and this is the first report of the disease on potato in Korea.

Grafting is a traditional research and crop production technique used to study the long-distance movement of molecules, reduce disease susceptibility, and improve yield, quality, and nutrient content. Tomato/potato grafts are rare examples of successful interspecies grafting, even resulting in commercially available products. Nevertheless, information on the effect of tomato on the quality parameters of potato tubers is scarce. In this study, the tomato cultivar ‘Mobil’ was grafted with the potato cultivars ‘White Lady’, ‘Hópehely’, and ‘Désirée’, and the phenotype, metabolite composition, and starch and protein contents of the tubers were analysed. Anthocyanins were isolated from the tuber skins, and the expression level of the transcription factor ANTHOCYANIN1 (StAN1) was evaluated. Out of the 112 identified metabolites, the concentrations of twelve compounds were altered in the same direction in all three cultivars. Compared to the self-grafted control, the starch content of tubers was increased in each cultivar, while the protein level remained unaltered in ‘White Lady’ and ‘Hópehely’. The oval tubers became roundish. The tomato scion increased the anthocyanin content of ‘Hópehely’ and ‘Désirée’ tuber skins, which was correlated with the upregulation of StAN1 expression. These results indicate that tomato scion has a significant impact on the quality parameters of potato tubers.

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is considered one of the main food crops in many countries worldwide. The present work was planned to manage potato black-leg disease using organic treatments as well as mineral-nitrogenous treatments, in addition to examining their effects on the pathogenic bacterium (Pectobacterium atrosepticum) population under artificial inoculation conditions. The obtained data indicated that applications of cabbage, onion and peppermint dry ground leaves as organic matters, and applications of ammonium super-phosphate, potassium sulfate and urea as mineral-nitrogenous fertilizers reduced P. atrosepticum population and black-leg disease of potato compared with the control treatment. In addition, these treatments led to increasing potato yield, while the beneficial effects increased with increasing their doses compared with the control treatment. Meanwhile, the organic matter appeared highly effective compared with mineral-nitrogenous fertilizers in disease reduction. However, mineral-nitrogenous fertilizers appeared highly effective in increasing potato yield. Meanwhile, onion dry ground leaves (organic matter) and urea (nitrogenous fertilizer) were the most effective on the pathogenic bacterium population and severity of the disease compared with other treatments

Abstract Genes containing the SET domain can catalyse histone lysine methylation, which in turn has the potential to cause changes to chromatin structure and regulation of the transcription of genes involved in diverse physiological and developmental processes. However, the functions of SET domain-containing (StSET) genes in potato still need to be studied. The objectives of our study can be summarized as in silico analysis to (i) identify StSET genes in the potato genome, (ii) systematically analyse gene structure, chromosomal distribution, gene duplication events, promoter sequences, and protein domains, (iii) perform phylogenetic analyses, (iv) compare the SET domain-containing genes of potato with other plant species with respect to protein domains and orthologous relationships, (v) analyse tissue-specific expression, and (vi) study the expression of StSET genes in response to drought and heat stresses. In this study, we identified 57 StSET genes in the potato genome, and the genes were physically mapped onto eleven chromosomes. The phylogenetic analysis grouped these StSET genes into six clades. We found that tandem duplication through sub-functionalisation has contributed only marginally to the expansion of the StSET gene family. The protein domain TDBD (PFAM ID: PF16135) was detected in StSET genes of potato while it was absent in all other previously studied species. This study described three pollen-specific StSET genes in the potato genome. Expression analysis of four StSET genes under heat and drought in three potato clones revealed that these genes might have non-overlapping roles under different abiotic stress conditions and durations. The present study provides a comprehensive analysis of StSET genes in potatoes, and it serves as a basis for further functional characterisation of StSET genes towards understanding their underpinning biological mechanisms in conferring stress tolerance.

Climate change is predicted to increase the occurrence of extreme weather events such as heatwaves, which may thereby impact the outcome of plant-herbivore interactions. While elevated temperature is known to directly affect herbivore growth, it remains largely unclear if it indirectly influences herbivore performance by affecting the host plant they feed on. In this study, we investigated how transient exposure to high temperature influences plant herbivory-induced defenses at the transcript and metabolic level. To this end, we studied the interaction between potato (Solanum tuberosum) plants and the larvae of the potato tuber moth (Phthorimaea operculella) under different temperature regimes. We found that P. operculella larvae grew heavier on leaves co-stressed by high temperature and insect herbivory than on leaves pre-stressed by herbivory alone. We also observed that high temperature treatments altered phylotranscriptomic patterns upon herbivory, which changed from an evolutionary hourglass pattern, in which transcriptomic responses at early and late time points after elicitation are more variable than the ones in the middle, to a vase pattern. Specifically, transcripts of many herbivory-induced genes in the early and late defense stage were suppressed by HT treatment, whereas those in the intermediate stage peaked earlier. Additionally, we observed that high temperature impaired the induction of jasmonates and defense compounds upon herbivory. Moreover, using jasmonate-reduced (JA-reduced, irAOC) and -elevated (JA-Ile-elevated, irCYP94B3s) potato plants, we showed that high temperature suppresses JA signaling mediated plant-induced defense to herbivore attack. Thus, our study provides evidences on how temperature reprograms plant-induced defense to herbivores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThis study aimed to determine the effects of different types of fertilizers (organic and inorganic fertilizers) on plant growth, yield, and yield components of potatoes grown in the high-altitude plateau of eastern Türkiye in 2017 and 2019. In the experiment, single or combined doses of nitrogen (N; as ammonium sulfate) and phosphorus (P; as triple super phosphate) as inorganic fertilizers and leonardite (L) and vermicompost (V) fertilizers as organic fertilizers were used. In both years, different fertilizer treatments significantly affected plant growth, yield, and yield components. Tuber yield per hill (941.0 g), marketable tuber yield (32.71 t ha−1), total tuber yield (37.84 t ha−1), specific gravity (1. 077 g cm−3), chip productivity (35.9%), starch (13.03%) and protein (11.0%) ratios increased when N fertilizer was used in combination with vermicompost or leonardite. N fertilizer combined with V or L fertilizer increased tuber yield under harsh continental climates, short growth periods, and high altitudes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The compositional nutrient diagnosis (CND) method considers the multiple relationships among nutrients and has been proposed to evaluate the nutritional status of plants in place of the univariate and bivariate methods. As it is mathematically based and considers the interactions among all nutrients at the same time, it avoids the errors and trends observed in the calculations of other methods estimating nutritional status, enabling a greater relationship with productivity. The objective of this study was to obtain the CND norms for high-yielding populations of potato crops. For this, 587 samples were used from 21 experimental areas in the state of São Paulo, Brazil to correlate the leaf nutrient contents and the yields of potato crops. Crops with yields higher than 48,993.24 kg ha−1 were considered to have high yields, and the Mahalanobis distance separated the balanced samples from the nutritionally unbalanced ones. Thus, the CND-ilr method generated the norms and classified the 587 samples as nutritionally balanced with a high yield (5% of the total), nutritionally unbalanced with a low yield (92%), nutritionally unbalanced with a high yield (0.3%), or nutritionally balanced with a low yield (2.7%), with accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, NPV, and PPV scores of 96.9, 97.1, 93.6, 64.4, and 99.6%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among climate-change related effects, drought, heat, and waterlogging are the most important adversely affecting the production of potatoes in Europe. As climate change progresses, agricultural practices must adapt to maintain potato yields. This study is based on a European-wide survey. It presents potato growers' perception of climate change, its impact, and possible adaptation strategies, focusing on the results from Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. Potato growers strongly agreed that climate change had affected their potato production in the last ten years, as indicated by 98% of German and more than 90% of Swiss and Austrian respondents. Drought caused the most severe impact, and to varying extents damage was caused by heat and the occurrence of pests and pathogens. The most preferred adaptation measure was the planting of adapted varieties. In line with the comparably low access to at least partial irrigation that Austrian potato growers reported, Austria appeared to be the country most affected by drought. Other more pronounced challenges were late spring frost, flash floods, and soil erosion. The study highlights and discusses specific differences between the countries, as well as between conventional and organic potato production based on the Austrian responses. The results underline that to successfully develop effective climate change mitigation strategies, country-specific and local challenges and needs should be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To maximise the throughput of novel, high-throughput phenotyping platforms, many researchers have utilised smaller pot sizes to increase the number of biological replicates that can be grown in spatially limited controlled environments. This may confound plant development through a process known as "pot binding", particularly in larger species including potato (Solanum tuberosum), and under water-restricted conditions. We aimed to investigate the water availability hypothesis of pot binding, which predicts that small pots have insufficient water holding capacities to prevent drought stress between irrigation periods, in potato. Two cultivars of potato were grown in small (5 L) and large (20 L) pots, were kept under polytunnel conditions, and were subjected to three irrigation frequencies: every other day, daily, and twice daily. Plants were phenotyped with two Phenospex PlantEye F500s and canopy and tuber fresh mass and dry matter were measured. Increasing irrigation frequency from every other day to daily was associated with a significant increase in fresh tuber yield, but only in large pots. This suggests a similar level of drought stress occurred between these treatments in the small pots, supporting the water availability hypothesis of pot binding. Further increasing irrigation frequency to twice daily was still not sufficient to increase yields in small pots but it caused an insignificant increase in yield in the larger pots, suggesting some pot binding may be occurring in large pots under daily irrigation. Canopy temperatures were significantly higher under each irrigation frequency in the small pots compared to large pots, which strongly supports the water availability hypothesis as higher canopy temperatures are a reliable indicator of drought stress in potato. Digital phenotyping was found to be less accurate for larger plants, probably due to a higher degree of self-shading. The research demonstrates the need to define the optimum pot size and irrigation protocols required to completely prevent pot binding and ensure drought treatments are not inadvertently applied to control plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Potato (Solanum tuberosum) is the most popular tuber crop and a model organism. A variety of gene models for potato exist, and despite frequent updates, they are not unified. This hinders the comparison of gene models across versions, limits the ability to reuse experimental data without significant re-analysis, and leads to missing or wrongly annotated genes. Here, we unify the recent potato double monoploid v4 and v6 gene models by developing an automated merging protocol, resulting in a Unified poTato genome model (UniTato). We subsequently established an Apollo genome browser (unitato.nib.si) that enables public access to UniTato and further community-based curation. We demonstrate how the UniTato resource can help resolve problems with missing or misplaced genes and can be used to update or consolidate a wider set of gene models or genome information. The automated protocol, genome annotation files, and a comprehensive translation table are provided at github.com/NIB-SI/unitato. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: In potato, maturity is assessed by leaf senescence, which, in turn, affects yield and tuber quality traits. Previously, we showed that the CYCLING DOF FACTOR1 (StCDF1) locus controls leaf maturity in addition to the timing of tuberization. Here, we provide evidence that StCDF1 controls senescence onset separately from senescence progression and the total life cycle duration.We used molecular–biological approaches (DNA‐Affinity Purification Sequencing) to identify a direct downstream target of StCDF1, named ORESARA1 (StORE1S02), which is a NAC transcription factor acting as a positive senescence regulator.By overexpressing StORE1S02 in the long life cycle genotype, early onset of senescence was shown, but the total life cycle remained long. At the same time, StORE1S02 knockdown lines have a delayed senescence onset. Furthermore, we show that StORE1 proteins play an indirect role in sugar transport from source to sink by regulating expression of SWEET sugar efflux transporters during leaf senescence.This study clarifies the important link between tuber formation and senescence and provides insight into the molecular regulatory network of potato leaf senescence onset. We propose a complex role of StCDF1 in the regulation of potato plant senescence. See also the Commentary on this article by Tai, 242: 2385–2387. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Potato varieties have diverse biophysical characteristics, so it is important for breeders to have the capacity to choose those that meet the preferences of end users, such as mealiness, firmness, and taste, among others. Combining user preferences with descriptive information regarding the sensory characteristics of boiled potatoes can contribute to the improvement of consumer‐driven varieties. This study aimed to factor in the preferences of end users to improve the prospects for varietal acceptance, adoption, and discrimination among genotypes in potato breeding. RESULTS: The priority quality traits (traits that play the most significant roles in acceptance and adoption) of the boiled potatoes were determined by evaluating gender and livelihood using the G+ tool. The G+ tool is designed to assess gender impact on roots, tubers and bananas (RTB) traits by serving as a validation check to reflect on important gender‐based issues in agricultural food systems in order to reduce harm and promote positive impact. Potato genotypes were differentiated by penetration (textural parameters as measured by standard texture probe) and the procedure was repeatable, as there was no significant difference between the cooking replicates at 40 min of cooking. Instrument‐based texture parameters, such as penetration peak force (hardness/firmness) and area (area under the curve, which represents energy needed to penetrate) of boiled potato tubers were significantly associated with sensory attributes such as fracturability and hardness in the mouth. An attempt to differentiate genotypes using near‐infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) revealed that the average results observed for the calibration for yellow color (r2 = 0.70), homogeneity of color (r2 = 0.48), moisture in mass (r2 = 0.40), and uniformity of texture (r2 = 0.56) suggested that these parameters could be used for initial breeding screening purposes. CONCLUSIONS: The preferred traits of the boiled potato can be integrated into the potato‐breeding program/product profile. Near‐infrared spectroscopy shows strong potential to predict potato color and the ability of NIRS models to predict some texture attributes is also promising. © 2023 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stem canker and black scurf of potatoes, caused by Rhizoctonia solani, are economically important diseases. Although the field application of sodium silicate has been shown to improve potato's resistance against R. solani, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we examined this resistance using transcriptomic analysis. Potato stems inoculated with R. solani were treated with sodium silicate, while a control group received no sodium silicate treatment. The plants were grown under natural environmental conditions at the farm of Inner Mongolia Agricultural University. Potato stems were sampled 4, 8, and 12 days after treatment. Total RNA was extracted using the TRIzol reagent and transformed into cDNA. The cDNA was sequenced, the reads were aligned, and the expression levels of genes were quantified and compared between the treated and control groups. A total of 1491 genes were identified as differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Furthermore, these DEGs were found to be involved in hydrolase activity, plant–pathogen interactions, hormone signal transduction, and the phenylpropanoid biosynthesis pathway. To confirm the up- and down-regulation of DEGs, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was performed on randomly selected genes. The results showed that the application of sodium silicate induces a complex defense network in potato plants involving physical barriers, innate immunity, phytohormone signaling, and various phenylpropanoid compounds to combat R. solani infection. This study provides valuable insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying sodium-silicate-induced resistance and its potential for reducing stem canker and black scurf in potato crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three varieties of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) were in vitro screened for salt stress tolerance by measuring some growth (plant length, leaf area, root length, and fresh and dry weight) and chemical (proline content) parameters. Furthermore, this study aimed to develop an effective optimum callus induction and plant regeneration's protocol in potato varieties (Svenja, Safari, and Taurus) to establish an efficient in vitro selection method to produce salt-tolerant lines. Salt stress was imposed by adding 50, 100, and 150 mM of NaCl to Murashige-Skoog (MS) medium and compared to MS medium without NaCl. The results indicated that increasing NaCl concentration decreased the studied parameters in each variety, as the highest concentration of NaCl gave the lowest values for most studied characters. The variety Svenja outperformed the other varieties (Safari and Taurus) in most growth parameters under the in vitro salt stress conditions. Moreover, it was notable that the higher the NaCl concentration, the higher the proline content in vitro. Different plant explants were used in callus induction. Later on, the obtained callus lines were screened for their salt tolerance depending on both relative growth and cell viability of callus, by exposing them to different levels of salt stress; thereafter, genetic variations among regenerated plantlets from stressed callus and mother plants were studied. The percentage of callus induction varied depending on the explant type and plant growth regulators. It turns out that a higher percentage of callus induction without roots (95.76%) was obtained when the leaf was used on the Murashige and Skoog (MS) media containing 3 mg·l−1 of 2,4-D in Svenja. Both callus relative growth rate (RGR) and viability were negatively affected by salt stress in all treatments. It was found out that the sub-lethal concentration of salt was 100 mM/NaCl for Safari and Taurus, while it was 150 mM/NaCl for Svenja. The highest regeneration percentage was recorded in Svenja (37.50%), and Safari (31.25%) on MS media containing 1.5 mg·l−1 BAP+ 25 mg·l−1 adenine sulphate, while it was 34.33% in Taurus variety on MS media containing 1 mg·l−1 BAP+ 0.5 mg·l−1 IAA. As for the regenerated shoots percentage, all the studied varieties had the same mean value. This study showed that lines S9, S10 from Svenja, T1, T2 from Taurus, and SF1, SF5 from Safari were the best of all obtained lines and they were tolerant of high NaCl concentrations (200 and 250 mM). These results prove the possibility of using callus technique to develop new genotypes different from mother varieties for environmental stresses tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pectinolytic bacteria were isolated from potato plants and tubers showing blackleg and soft rot symptoms, collected from fields and storages in the province of Ain Defla, Algeria, in the period from 2016 to 2018. Twelve Gram-negative pectinolytic bacterial isolates were obtained from the crystal violet pectate medium growth. These strains induced a hypersensitive reaction and soft rot symptoms when inoculated in tobacco leaves and potato tuber slices, respectively. Biochemical characterisation has revealed that the isolates correspond to two distinct phenotypes. Molecular identification by PCR using specific Dickeya spp. ADE1/ADE2 primers proved that four isolates S441, B74, D14 and A13 were of the genus Dickeya. Subsequently, additional biochemical tests have allowed their classification to the Dickeya biovar 3, known as the Dickeya solani species. Pathogenicity tests performed on potato, tomato and eggplant plants confirmed their virulence in various Solanaceae. Finally, the effects of initial inoculum concentration and of various temperature and humidity regimes were investigated. Maceration assays performed on potato tuber discs revealed more severe damage at high concentrations and when increasing temperature and humidity. This first study of D. solani causing blackleg and soft rot on potato in Algeria highlights the potential risks associated with this disease in the next years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]