Combined strategies to improve selection efficiency of diploid potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) to heat-tolerance

• Grant number: 24/16924-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: February 25, 2025
• End date: February 24, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy
• Principal Investigator: Fernando Angelo Piotto
• Grantee: Gustavo Nandi
• Supervisor: David Douches
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Michigan State University (MSU), United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 23/02478-7 - Obtaining and characterizing diploid potato progenies for heat tolerance., BP.DR

Abstract

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is severely affected by numerous constraints such as pests, diseases and abiotic stresses, especially in tropical countries. Additionally, genetic gains in potato breeding are poor due to the complex tetraploid genome and low multiplication rate at early stages. Reduced complexity brought by potato breeding at the diploid level would smooth many processes and help to better predict genetic gains, besides facilitating trait introgression from wild diploid relatives containing beneficial alleles. Several research groups have invested time and money developing strategies to deal with this new challenge, among those, we can highlight the 'Potato 2.0' North American program, and our Laboratory group, the first in Brazil to dive into that. As we are focused on developing heat-tolerant diploids, our group noticed the urgent need to establish simpler and cheaper protocols to assess heat tolerance in potato. Nevertheless, there is lack of expertise in some processes, that motivated us to seek more experienced research groups, like the Michigan State University - MSU Potato Breeding and Genetics program, headed by Dr. David Douches. The main objective of this study is to establish novel strategies to evaluate dihaploid potato clones for heat-tolerance, which will be used as reference for our program in Brazil. Our proposal is centered on in vitro bioassays which will be then validated in greenhouse conditions. Additionally, genomic selection models will be fitted to assist selection. Finally, the work to be carried out represents a unique opportunity to get skilled in potato breeding, especially at the diploid level, while exploring and being part of a notably excellent research group in this area.