Investigation and development of potato parentage analysis methods using multiplexed SSR fingerprinting

Abstract

Parentage assessment in the potato (Solanum tuberosum L.), based on a reliable characterization of DNA varieties, can be a useful tool in validating pedigree information as well as for assigning potential parents to orphan varieties. The approach suggested in this study was to use the genetic profiles obtained on 577 cultivars using a set of 17 polymorphic simple sequence repeats (SSR) markers in conjunction with the pedigree information provided by either the literature or the breeders to set up reliable parentage methods. Kinship testing based on the simple exclusion method was developed with cultivated potatoes for which the genetic data of both parents was available in our database and proved to be hopeful in validating pedigree information. To determine parental assignment, two inferential methods, the maximum likelihood (LOD) and the genetic distance ranking (GDR), were set up and compared in order to highlight which one offered the most likely candidate parent to a chosen variety. Inferential analysis results revealed that the “alleged parent” had a higher probability of being ranked first using the LOD method. Finally, we discussed the relevance of this new original approach, particularly in relation to instances where the pedigree is either in doubt or lacking information for the cultivars.