SCAR marker for the selection of Ry-duplex potato clones immune to potato virus Y
Alexandre Marques Ribeiro, César Augusto Brasil Pereira Pinto, Cristiana Moura Andrade, João Bosco dos Santos, and Antônia dos Reis Figueira
Vegetative propagation of potato allows the dissemination of viruses that can cause drastic drops in tuber yield. Potato virus Y (PVY) is one of the most important viruses of potato due to the non-persistent mode of transmission through vector insects. Genetic resistance is the recommended control measure since the chemical control of vector insects is not effective. This study aimed to identify PVY-immune clones through potato grafting onto virus-infected tobacco plants, check their genetic constitution for the Ry allele through PCR and evaluate the clones’ field performance. Sixty-two clones were identified as PVY-immune through grafting. The SCAR marker allowed the identification of two duplex clones for the Ry allele (RyRyryry), which can be used as parents to originate progenies with about 80% PVY-immunity in crossings with susceptible clones. Besides, the clones were productive and presented high tuber dry matter content.