Use of Crop Wild Relatives for Genetic Enhancement of Potato Germplasm with Improved Resistance to Late Blight (<em>Phytophthora infestans</em>)

Abstract

Potato is among the most important food crops worldwide. Production of potatoes is threatened by late blight (Phytophthora infestans), a pathogen which constrains intensive chemical plant protection every season. Use of race-specific resistance genes from the primary genepool is no solution since the genetically adaptive pathogen quickly overcomes this type of resistance. A more sustainable approach appears to be using wild Solanum species from the secondary genepool as a genetic resource of quantitative resistance in potato breeding. Genetic enhancement of potato germplasm via introgressive pre-breeding is a time-consuming process which requires continuous commitment. Results obtained from the potato pre-breeding programme at the Julius Kühn-Institut (JKI) demonstrate that it is feasible to combine high degrees of quantitative late-blight resistance with earlier maturation and acceptable quality characters.