Researchers from McGill University, in collaboration with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, have created a super pangenome of potato with the potential to breed more nutritious, disease-resistant, and climate resilient potatoes. This 'future climate-smart potato' could enhance food security by reducing losses due to climate events and disease. Additionally, it could decrease the dependence of commercial potato production on nitrogen fertilizer by enabling a more targeted approach to fertilizer use.
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Original content
Scientists from McGill University in Montreal have created a super pangenome of potato, which plant breeders can use to produce potatoes that are more nutritious, disease-free and climate resilient. “We work with breeders in Canada and also internationally who have been working with reference genomes for many, many years, and are interested in specific traits.” According to Strömvik, these traits include producing “a future climate-smart potato” that’s better equipped to deal with dramatic weather events associated with climate change. She notes traits that reduce potato losses due to climate events as well as disease would increase food security for many nations. Strömvik says another possible beneficial trait relates to sustainability; specifically, reducing commercial potato production’s reliance on nitrogen fertilizer. That's something she's been investigating along with one of her collaborators, Helen Tai, who co-authored the potato super pangenome research paper. Tai is a ...
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