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Potato genomes pave the way to crop improvement

High-quality genome sequences for 44 wild and cultivated potatoes will enable researchers to better study this essential crop’s evolution and develop varieties that can withstand heat and drought caused by climate change.
  1. Juanita Gutiérrez-Valencia

    1. Juanita Gutiérrez-Valencia is in the Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Science for Life Laboratory, Stockholm University, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden.

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  2. Tanja Slotte

    1. Tanja Slotte is in the Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Science for Life Laboratory, Stockholm University, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden.

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Potatoes are the third most consumed food crop worldwide, after wheat and rice1. To safeguard crop yields in the face of climate change, improved varieties will be needed. Writing in Nature, Tang et al.2 describe the sequencing and analysis of high-quality genomes from wild and cultivated potatoes. This pangenome should increase our understanding of fundamental aspects of potato biology and guide breeding practices.

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Nature 606, 472-473 (2022)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-022-01419-2

References

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Competing Interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

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