Short communication. Resistance to Phytophthora infestans in populations of wild potato species in the Sorata microcentre of genetic diversity, La Paz, Bolivia

Abstract

Endemic wild potato species can be found in the Sorata microcentre of potato genetic diversity (Bolivia). This area, which lies at some 2640 m above sea level, is also a region of intensive phurejas potato cultivation. Pressure from the fungus Phytophthora infestans is high. In vitro experiments were performed to assess the resistance of the following potatoes to P. infestans: i) populations of the wild species Solanum acaule (S. acl), S. circaeifolium (S. crc-LA, S. crc-LB and S. crc-CO) and S. achacachense (S. ach), maintained at the Belén Research Station ex situ bank, ii) the reference species S. capsicibaccatum (S. cap), S. berthaultii (S. ber), S. toralapanum (S. tor) and S. sparsipilum (S. spl), and iii) susceptible cultivated varieties of S. phureja (S. phu) and S. tuberosum subsp. andigena (S. adg). The populations of S. acl, S. crc-LA, S. crc-LB and S. crc-CO showed high levels of resistance to P. infestans, while S. ach was very susceptible, in fact even more so than S. phu. S. tor was very resistant, while S. cap, S. ber and S. spl showed susceptibility similar to that of S. phu. The susceptible control S. adg showed the expected response to P. infestans, while that of S. phu was in agreement with its non-specific resistance to this pathogen.