ECUADORIAN POTATO LANDRACES: TRADITIONAL NAMES AND GENETIC IDENTITY

Abstract

Ecuadorian potato landraces (Solanum tuberosum L.) are an important genetic resource, but they have been poorly described. Simple Sequence Repeats (SSR) markers were applied to 152 landraces to assess the genetic diversity of potatoes collected in three areas of high diversity: the Carchi, Chimborazo and Loja provinces. These SSR markers were previously used in the genotyping of more than 800 European potato varieties. The number of alleles and Polymorphism Information Content (PIC) of the markers found in this study were similar to those in European cultivars; however, the overlap in alleles was small. Based on SSR data, the relationship between local names of landraces and genetic identity showed several landraces with different names but identical molecular profiles. It also showed that landraces with identical names but obvious differences in tuber morphology were almost always genetically different. There was no clear grouping of material collected according to the regions under study that suggests extensive movement of seed potatoes all over Ecuador.