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Validation of markers for the selection of drought tolerant starch potatoes subproject 2: Candidate gene based analysis of drought tolerance (VALDIS TROST)

Project

Production processes

This project contributes to the research aim 'Production processes'. Which funding institutions are active for this aim? What are the sub-aims? Take a look:
Production processes


Project code: JKI-RS-08-3373
Contract period: 01.03.2014 - 01.08.2017
Purpose of research: Applied research

The project TROST identified marker candidates for drought tolerance in starch potato from transcript and metabolite data and developed a prediction model. The transferability of marker and model to a wider range of cultivars was tested by cross validation. The succeeding project VALDIS TROST will demonstrate that drought tolerant genotypes can be selected based on the identified markers (Objective 1). Additionally, we will test whether selection for drought tolerance negatively affects yield potential and what causes this yield penalty (Objective 2). We will identify markers to avoid negative effects of tolerance selection on yield potential and convert the metabolic and RNA marker into genomic markers. We thus gain markers that are independent of environmental and developmental influences and consequently suitable for practical breeding purposes (Objective 3). We will select tolerant and sensitive subpopulation from a segregating potato population. For these subpopulations, drought tolerance, yield and its quality will be quantified in cultivation trials. By metabolite and transcript profiling and subsequent multivariate data analysis, we gain optimized markers that avoid yield penalty effects. These markers are converted to allele specific DNA markers. Thus, VALDIS TROST will deliver marker for the selection of drought tolerant breeding lines independent of specialised laboratories and without elaborate stress trials.

Potatoes are much more sensitive to drought than most other crop species. Therefore, it is an important goal to improve drought stress tolerance which will become more important due to climate change particularly in the context of limited irrigation due to economical and ecological reasons. Markers for improving drought tolerance in potatoes, identified in the previous project TROST, were tested to their suitability for the selection of drought tolerant genotypes in the present project VALDIS TROST. For this purpose three subpopulations were selected out of 195 clones already characterized with regard to drought tolerance. Based on the tolerance index DRYM (corresponding to the conventional breeding strategy) a tolerant classic-subpopulation (SP1) was created. Furthermore, using metabolite and transcript markers identified in the previous project TROST, another tolerant (SP2) and a sensitive subpopulation (SP3) were selected. In 2016, subpopulations were cultivated in pot and field experiments under optimum and reduced irrigation to determine yield performance and DRYM. Additionally, plants in pot trials were sampled at time of full flowering for the assessment of physiological and biochemical parameters. As already in 2015, yield and starch yield were reduced significantly under drought stress. Although a high variation of the drought stress index DRYM was observed in the selected lines there was no statistically significant difference between the subpopulations. Statistical analyses of physiological traits revealed a significant effect of drought stress and genotype but no significant correlations with DRYM. Furthermore, for nine candidate genes involved in drought stress tolerance, gene specific primer pairs were designed and amplified on 101 genotypes and sequenced. Using data from the sequencing, 605 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) were identified for the subsequent candidate gene association study. The aim of this project is to improve any tolerance characteristics of potatoes with respect to drought stress.

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Subjects

Framework programme

BMEL Frameworkprogramme 2008

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