| Abstract Detail
Breeding and Genetics Alvarez, Natalia M. [2], Peralta, Iris Edith [1], Spooner, David [2]. Morphological evaluation of the Solanum brevicaule complex: a replicated field trial from Argentina. THE Solanum brevicaule complex is a group of very similar wild potato (Solanum sect. Petota) species defined on morphological characteristics. They are generally freely intercrossable to each other and to the potato cultivars. They include diploids (2n=2x=24), tetraploids (2n=4x=48) and hexaploids (2n=6x=72), and are distributed from Peru to Central Argentina. Every potato taxonomist treating this group has provided different interpretations of the number of species, ranging from two to over 20, and the complex presents one of most intractable taxonomic problems in the section. Our morphological field study of germplasm accessions planted in a common field plot in Mendoza, Argentina is a replication of one in Wisconsin, USA. We assessed 51 morphological characters from 178 accessions of three individuals per accession, for a total of over 27,000 individual measurements. Although the correlation coefficient between studies is low (r = 0.14), there are many points of agreement. For example, the only support for species was from canonical discriminant analysis using a range of overlapping traits (polythetic support). Some phenetically distinctive species (e.g., S. vernei) clustered. However, unlike the Wisconsin results, and recently published molecular (AFLPs, RAPDs, low-copy nuclear RFLPs) results, the group did not form "northern" (Peru) and "southern" (Bolivia and Argentina) clusters. The Argentinean results better supported some species, in agreement with AFLP data (e.g., S. avilesii, S. spegazzinii). They also showed no support for S. oplocense that likewise was not supported in the AFLP study, but was in the Wisconsin study. We conclude that there is no easy resolution to the taxonomy of the Solanum brevicaule complex, and that many of the species will be relegated to synonymy. We are continuing to study the group with a world-wide assemblage of herbarium specimens, including types, and with DNA sequence data to be integrated into a broader study of the section.
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1 - National University of Cuyo and CONICET, Agronomy, Almirante Brown 500, Chacras de Coria, Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza, M5528AHB, Argentina
2 -
Keywords:
Potato
sect. Petota
Solanaceae
Solanum brevicaule complex
South America.
Session: PAA08-3
Location: Hall of Ideas Room G/Monona Terrace
Date: Tuesday, July 25th, 2006
Time: 9:00 AM
Abstract ID:346 |
