The search for the super potato聽
As climate change continues to pose severe challenges to ensuring sustainable food supplies around the world, scientists from 不良研究所 are looking for ways to improve the resilience and nutritional quality of potatoes. Professor Martina Str枚mvik and her team have created a potato to identify genetic traits that can help produce the next super spud.聽聽
鈥淥ur super pangenome sheds light on the potato鈥檚 genetic diversity and what kinds of genetic traits could potentially be bred into our modern-day crop to make it better,鈥� says Professor Str枚mvik, who collaborated with researchers across Canada, the Unites States and Peru. 鈥淚t represents 60 species and is the most extensive collection of genome sequence data for the potato and its relatives to date,鈥� she adds.聽聽
A genome is an organism鈥檚 complete set of genetic instructions known as the DNA sequence, while a pangenome aims to capture the complete genetic diversity within a species, and a super pangenome also includes multiple species.聽
Imagining a disease-free and drought or frost-proof potato聽
The potato is a staple food source for many people around the world 鈥� and it鈥檚 one of the most important food crops globally, after rice and wheat in terms of human consumption. 鈥淲ild potato species can teach us a lot about what genetic traits are critical in adapting to climate change and extreme weather, enhancing nutritional quality, and improving food security,鈥� says Professor Str枚mvik.聽
To build the potato pangenome, the researchers used supercomputers to crunch data from public databanks, including gene banks in Canada, the United States, and Peru.聽聽
According to the researchers, the pangenome can be used to answer many questions about the evolution of this important crop that was domesticated by鈥疘ndigenous peoples鈥痠n the mountains of southern Peru nearly 10,000 years ago. It could also be used to help identify specific genes to create a super spud using traditional breeding or gene editing technology.聽聽
鈥淪cientists hope to develop something that can defend against various forms of diseases and better withstand extreme weather like lots of rain, frost, or a drought,鈥� says Professor Str枚mvik.聽
About the study聽
鈥溾�� by Ilayda Bozan, Sai Reddy Achakkagari, Noelle L. Anglin, David Ellis, Helen H. Tai, and Martina V. Str枚mvik was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).聽
About 不良研究所
Founded in 1821, 不良研究所 is home to exceptional students, faculty, and staff from across Canada and around the world. It is consistently ranked as one of the top universities, both nationally and internationally. It is a world-renowned institution of higher learning with research activities spanning three campuses, 12 faculties, 14 professional schools, 300 programs of study and over 39,000 students, including more than 10,400 graduate students.
惭肠骋颈濒濒鈥檚 reaches back several decades and spans scales from local to global. The sustainability declarations that we have signed affirm our role in helping to shape a future where people and the planet can flourish.
