Breeding for nutritional quality and pest resistance: potential of a set of non-commercial tetraploid potato cultivars with purple and red flesh

Potatoes are the most widely cultivated tubers and also a valuable source of nutrients and non-nutrient health-promoting compounds. Cultivars with pigmented skin and flesh are of especial interest due to the presence of high concentrations of carotenoids, anthocyanins, flavonoids and phenolic acids. Several investigations have focused on the characterization of native and wild potato accessions, particularly highly pigmented genotypes in order to broaden the overall genetic variation in terms of commercial and processing aptitude, pest resistance and nutritional quality. However, the incorporation of some of these traits into new breeding lines at the tetraploid level is hampered by the presence of detrimental traits as well as varying ploidy levels. Therefore, a set of ten highly-pigmented tetraploid cultivars (Solanum tuberosum L.) was selected and characterized on the basis of tuber morphology, pest resistance and nutritional related traits in order to select parental lines for breeding. Attractive colors and color patterns with potential for the potato snack industry have been identified. Varying degrees of resistance to Globodera spp. and Phythophora infestans, which are considered major threats for the crop, have been found among the collection of pigmented cultivars. Nutritional quality related parameters including significantly higher levels of phenolic compounds, anthocyanins, carotenoids, vitamin C and micronutrients (Zn and Fe) were found when compared with the commercial cultivars used as checks. These findings could assist in the selection of parents (progenitors) towards the introduction of interesting traits into new potato advanced clones at the tetraploid level, without the problems derived from ploidy levels and non-commercial characteristics