Allelic variants of a potato HEAT SHOCK COGNATE 70 gene confer improved tuber yield under a wide range of environmental conditions

In this study, we aimed to confirm the results from the glasshouse screen in field trials conducted over several seasons and locations including those in Kenya, Malawi and the UK. We extend our understanding of theHSc70 gene and demonstrate that expression level ofHSc70 correlates with tolerance to heat stress in a wide range of wild potato relatives. The physiological basis of the protective effect of HSc70 was explored and we show that genotypes carrying the highly expressedHSc70 A2 allele are protected against photooxidative damage to PSII induced by abiotic stresses. Overall, we show the potential ofHSc70 alleles for breeding resilient potato genotypes for multiple environments.

Source: Food and Energy Security - March 15, 2022 Category: Food Science Authors: Raymond Campbell, Laurence Ducreux, Graham Cowan, Vanessa Young, Gift Chinoko, Gloria Chitedze, Stanley Kwendani, Margaret Chiipanthenga, Craita E. Bita, Obed Mwenye, Hassan Were, Lesley Torrance, Sanjeev Kumar Sharma, Robert D. Hancock, Gle Tags: ORIGINAL ARTICLE Source Type: research