Exploring Folate Diversity in Wild and Primitive Potatoes for Modern Crop Improvement

Genes

Bruce R. Robinson²  Vidyasagar Sathuvalli²  John Bamberg³  Aymeric Goyer²  Sean Mayes¹  Festo Massawe¹  Prakit Somta¹ 

[1]Hermiston Agricultural Research and Extension Center, Oregon State University, Hermiston, OR 97838, USA

[2]

[3]Hermiston Agricultural Research and Extension Center, Oregon State University, Hermiston, OR 97838, USA

[4] E-Mails:

[5]USDA/Agricultural Research Service, Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235, USA

[6] E-Mail:

关键词: vitamin B₉;    folate;    biofortification;    potato;    Solanum tuberosum;    andigenum;    vernei;   

DOI  :  10.3390/genes6041300

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Malnutrition is one of the world’s largest health concerns. Folate (also known as vitamin B₉) is essential in the human diet, and without adequate folate intake, several serious health concerns, such as congenital birth defects and an increased risk of stroke and heart disease, can occur. Most people’s folate intake remains sub-optimal, even in countries that have a folic acid food fortification program in place. Staple crops, such as potatoes, represent an appropriate organism for biofortification through traditional breeding based on their worldwide consumption and the fact that modern cultivars only contain about 6% of the daily recommended intake of folate. To start breeding potatoes with enhanced folate content, high folate potato material must be identified. In this study, 250 individual plants from 77 accessions and 10 Solanum species were screened for their folate content using a tri-enzyme extraction and microbial assay. There was a 10-fold range of folate concentrations among individuals. Certain individuals within the species Solanum tuberosum subsp. andigenum, Solanum vernei and Solanum boliviense have the potential to produce more than double the folate concentrations of commercial cultivars, such as Russet Burbank. Our results show that tapping into the genetic diversity of potato is a promising approach to increase the folate content of this important crop.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.