Field Crop 2025, Vol.8, No.2, 82-92 http://cropscipublisher.com/index.php/fc 82 Research Insight Open Access QTL Mapping of Key Agronomic Traits in Potato Dandan Huang Hainan Institute of Biotechnology, Haikou, 570206, Hainan, China Corresponding email: dandan.huaung@hitar.org Field Crop, 2025, Vol.8, No.2 doi: 10.5376/fc.2025.08.0009 Received: 01 Feb., 2025 Accepted: 12 Mar., 2025 Published: 01 Apr., 2025 Copyright © 2025 Huang, This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Preferred citation for this article: Huang D.D., 2025, QTL mapping of key agronomic traits in potato, Field Crop, 8(2): 82-92 (doi: 10.5376/fc.2025.08.0009) Abstract The potato is a globally important food crop, and its key agronomic traits, such as tuber shape, yield and stress resistance, have a significant impact on agricultural production and market value. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis, as an important means to reveal the genetic mechanism of complex traits, provides theoretical support and technical guidance for the improvement of potato traits. This review systematically compiles the research progress on QTL mapping of key agronomic traits of potatoes in recent years, with a focus on summarizing the distribution and functional analysis of the main QTLS that control tuber shape, yield, and disease and stress resistance, and clarifying the key genetic loci and genes related to these traits. For instance, the Ro site on chromosome 10 is significantly correlated with the shape of the tuber, and multiple QTLS have been confirmed to make significant contributions to tuber yield and disease and stress resistance. Meanwhile, by integrating multi-omics methods such as genome-wide association studies (GWAS), transcriptomics, and epigenetics, the molecular mechanisms of trait regulation were further elaborated in depth. This review also explores the influence of gene-environment interactions on QTL expression, as well as the application prospects of marker-assisted selection (MAS) and gene editing techniques in potato breeding. By integrating genetic and environmental factors, it is expected that the development of superior potato varieties will be accelerated in the future, providing support for food security and sustainable agricultural development. Keywords Potato; Quantitative trait locus (QTL); Genetic diversity; Marker-assisted selection (MAS); Breeding improvement 1 Introduction Speaking of potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.), this thing is actually quite interesting. You may not know that although it can now be grown all over the world, it was originally wild in the Andes Mountains of South America. In terms of output, it is indeed inferior to rice and wheat. However, it can adapt to various climates and grow from tropical to cold regions (Jaganathan et al., 2020). Although it ranks only fourth among food crops, in many places it is a life-saving staple food. Of course, there are exceptions. For instance, some particularly humid tropical regions are not very suitable for planting. As for economic value, it goes without saying. From Europe to Asia, countless farmers have relied on this to make a living. To be honest, when it comes to the ability to feed the population, potatoes are no worse than those major grains. Those engaged in potato breeding all know that the yield is of course very important-after all, more and more people are eating nowadays. But to be honest, a high yield alone is not enough. Who would want the tubers that grow crooked? The size should be uniform, the shape should be good-looking, and the nutritional indicators such as starch content and vitamins should also meet the standards; otherwise, it simply won't sell in the market (Yamakawa et al., 2021). When it comes to disease resistance, it's even more of a headache, especially for late blight. A single outbreak can destroy an entire field. There is also the issue of drought. In recent years, the climate has become increasingly strange, with floods today and droughts tomorrow (Gebhardt, 2023). The most troublesome thing is that these characteristics are not determined by a single gene; they often involve the interaction of a large number of genes. So nowadays, those engaged in breeding are constantly struggling with these complex traits. When it comes to QTL positioning, it's actually quite interesting. Nowadays, people conducting potato research are all using this technique. To put it simply, it is to compare the genes of well-growing and poorly growing potatoes (Ahmad et al., 2022). This job was not easy to do before. But since the advent of new tools like next-generation sequencing, the positioning accuracy has improved significantly. However, to be honest, even if
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