Molecular Plant Breeding 2025, Vol.16, No.1, 73-81 http://genbreedpublisher.com/index.php/mpb 73 CaseStudy Open Access Case Study on Molecular Breeding for Drought-Resistant Sweet Potato Varieties Xuebing Ying1,YanjunLu 1, Shaoping Shi 1, LinZhao2, JiangShi 2 1 Lin’an District Agricultural and Forestry Technology Promotion Center, Hangzhou, 310000, Zhejiang, China 2 Crop (Ecology) Research Institute of Hangzhou Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou, 310000, Zhejiang, China Corresponding email: tomatoman@126.com Molecular Plant Breeding, 2025 Vol.16, No.1 doi: 10.5376/mpb.2025.16.0008 Received: 11 Jan., 2025 Accepted: 17 Feb., 2025 Published: 25 Feb., 2025 Copyright © 2025 Ying et al., 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: Ying X.B., Lu Y.J., Shi S.P., Zhao L., and Shi J., 2025, Case study on molecular breeding for drought-resistant sweet potato varieties, Molecular Plant Breeding, 16(1): 73-81 (doi: 10.5376/mpb.2025.16.0008) Abstract This study clarifies the importance of drought resistance in sweet potato cultivation and systematically evaluates the application of molecular techniques, such as marker-assisted selection (MAS), genomic selection (GS), and quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping, in enhancing drought tolerance in sweet potatoes. Several candidate genes associated with water retention, abscisic acid (ABA) signaling pathways, and key transcription factors were identified, which play a crucial role in improving drought resistance. Field trials validated that newly developed drought-resistant sweet potato varieties exhibited significantly enhanced water-use efficiency, optimized root architecture, and stable yield performance, outperforming traditional breeding methods. By focusing on molecular breeding for drought-resistant sweet potatoes, this study provides both technical support for breeding resilient varieties and essential insights for improving agricultural adaptability to climate change, thus contributing to food security. Keywords Drought resistance; Molecular breeding; Marker-assisted selection (MAS); Genomic selection (GS); Quantitative trait loci (QTL) 1 Introduction Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas [L.] Lam.) is a crucial subsistence crop, particularly in regions like Sub-Saharan Africa, where it plays a significant role in food security (Sapakhova et al., 2023). However, drought stress poses a substantial threat to its yield and productivity, making the development of drought-resistant varieties a critical objective 3. Drought conditions can lead to severe osmotic stress, which negatively impacts the agronomic and economic productivity of sweet potato by inducing various morphological, physiological, and biochemical changes. Therefore, enhancing drought resistance in sweet potato is essential to ensure stable yields and food security under the increasingly unpredictable climate conditions predicted by global climate models (Sprenger et al., 2015). Molecular breeding techniques have emerged as powerful tools in developing drought-resistant crops, including sweet potato. These techniques involve the identification and manipulation of specific genes associated with drought tolerance. For instance, transcriptomic analyses have identified candidate genes and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) that play crucial roles in drought response (Lau et al., 2018; Beketova et al., 2021). The overexpression of certain genes, such as IbMIPS1 and ItfWRKY70, has been shown to enhance drought tolerance by regulating various physiological and biochemical pathways (Zhai et al., 2016; Qin et al., 2019). Marker-assisted selection (MAS) and the use of transcript and metabolite markers have proven effective in predicting and selecting drought-tolerant genotypes. These molecular approaches enable the precise and efficient development of sweet potato varieties that can withstand drought stress. This study will explore the application of molecular breeding techniques in developing drought-resistant sweet potato varieties, analyzing key genes and molecular markers associated with drought tolerance in sweet potatoes. It will assess the effectiveness of various molecular breeding strategies, including gene overexpression and marker-assisted selection, in enhancing drought resilience, as well as examine the physiological and biochemical responses of transgenic sweet potato varieties under drought conditions. The study aims to provide valuable insights into the potential of molecular breeding to improve drought tolerance in sweet potatoes, thereby contributing to sustainable agriculture and food security in drought-prone regions.
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