Identification of useful potato germplasm adapted to biotic and abiotic stresses caused by global climate change: old genes coping new challenges

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1 Policy Seminar on the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture: Global Challenges and Future Direction Identification of useful potato germplasm adapted to biotic and abiotic stresses caused by global climate change: old genes coping new challenges Arturo Brenes-Angulo Agronomic Research Center University of Costa Rica Bari, Italy 17 December, 2009

2 Table of contents Background - importance of potato for food security/global and national General information - Previous activities and Costa Rican project Anticipated impacts - national and global Conclusions

3 BACKGROUND The potato is on the frontline in the fight against world hunger and poverty. Jacques Diouf, Director-General, FAO.

4 Potato is the fourth most important food staple in the world after rice, wheat and corn. Can be grown in various climates and in very different ecosystems, from the high Andean plateaus at 4,000m above sea level to the subtropical plains of many countries.

5 It is the world s number one non-grain food commodity, with production reaching a record 325 million tonnes in 2007.

6 Potato consumption is expanding strongly in developing countries, which now account for more than half of the global harvest and where the potato s ease of cultivation and high energy content have made it a valuable cash crop for millions of farmers.

7 Potatoes are rich in carbohydrates, making them a good source of energy. They have the highest protein content (around 2.1 percent on a fresh weight basis) in the family of root and tuber crops, and protein of a fairly high quality, with an amino-acid pattern that is well matched to human requirements. They are also very rich in vitamin C a single, medium-sized potato contains about half the recommended daily intake and contain a fifth of the recommended daily value of potassium.

8 In summary Potatoes can play a decisive role in the fight against hunger and poverty It is ideally suited to places where land is limited and labour is abundant, conditions that characterize much of the developing world. Potato produces more nutritious food more quickly, on less land, and in harsher climates than any other major crop up to 85 percent of the plant is edible human food, compared to around 50 percent in cereals (FAO,2009). It is, therefore, a highly recommended food security crop for low-income farmers and vulnerable consumers

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10 - Potato in Costa Rica is the third most important staple food after rice and beans. -Per capita consumption of 25 kg annually ha of harvested area (90,000 tonnes per year) - 65 % of the total production is consumed fresh - 20% as french fries and chips - 15% used as seed 70 % of the total area is cultivaded with the var. Floresta and the remaining 30% with var. Granola and other clones.

11 Main problems for potato cultivation in Costa Rica

12 Over the past three decades, Latin America (as many other parts in the world) has been subjected to climate-related impacts/ increased El Niño occurrences.

13 Two extremely intense episodes of the El Niño phenomenon (1982/83 and 1997/98) and other severe climate extremes have happened during this period, contributing greatly to the heightened vulnerability of human systems to natural disasters (floods, droughts, landslides, etc.). The impact of climate variability on the agricultural sector is well documented (Magrin et al. 2007). Several fungal diseases in potato during El Niño events, due to high rainfall and humidity.

14 With a simulation model (Hijmans, 2003) calculated with monthly climate, data for current ( ) and projected ( and ) conditions. - Between and the global (terrestrial excluding Antarctica) average temperature is predicted to increase between 2.1 and 3.2 C, depending on the climate scenario. - For this period, global potential potato yield decreases by 18% to 32% (without adaptation) and by 9% to 18% (with adaptation). - At high latitudes, global warming will likely lead to changes in the time of planting, the use of later-maturing cultivars, and a shift of the location of potato production.

15 - In many of these regions, changes in potato yield are likely to be relatively small, and sometimes positive. -Shifting planting time or location is less feasible at lower latitudes, and in these regions global warming could have a strong negative effect on potato production. - Heat-tolerant potato cultivars could be used to adapt to effects of global warming in (sub) tropical regions. Amer. J. of Potato Res (2003) 80:

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19 Wild relatives of all crops are the most important source of genetic diversity, which can be used to adapt cultured plants to climate change. However..survival of wild relatives themselves is under threat from the impacts of climate change (Lane et al., 2007).

20 Distribution modelling (Lane et al., 2007), showed that by 2055.

21 GENERAL INFORMATION - PREVIOUS ACTIVITIES

22 What is being done in Costa Rica (UCR)? Short Term 3 Strategies Mid Term Long Term

23 Short Term: introduction, evaluation and selection of foreign varieties

24 Seed production technology transfer

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27 Mid Term: Crossings and selection (ABS)

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29 Long Term: Collecting, conservation, characterization and use of the potato wild relatives from Costa Rica

30 45 accessions from 6 wild potato species: Solanum longiconicum, S. woodsonii (tuber bearing), S. canense, S. caripense, S. fraxinifolium and S. taenotrichum ( non tuber bearing).

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34 Importance

35 GENERAL INFORMATION ON THE PROJECT Main objective: Characterize novel, yet unexploited germplasm of potato from Costa Rica and identify accessions adapted to biotic and abiotic threats caused by climate change.

36 Activities a) Establishment of a germplasm collection of potato wild species of Costa Rica b) Evaluation of accessions for resistance or tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses related to global climate change c) Identification of useful candidate genes for biotic and abiotic stresses applying different molecular tools d) Pre-breeding activities to combine favourable characteristics and improve adaptation to climate change

37 Technology transfer Neiker-CIA - Evaluation of resistance or tolerance to pathogens - Evaluation of resistance or tolerance to abiotic stress factors: drought, cold, heat - Differential cdna-aflp - Application of cdna-aflp to detect transcripts with differential expression - Analysis of known candidate genes for biotic and abiotic stresses. - Design of primers based on (comparative) sequence information to obtain amplification products via PCR. - Marker Development and molecular characterization of plant materials with these markers. - Validation of Markers and characterization of accessions

38 - Germplasm collection of potato wild species identified/ breeding lines, progenitors and varieties for drought, cold and heat tolerance, which can serve to produce - New commercial potato varieties Anticipated impacts - Useful genes related to drought, heat and cold resistance or tolerance identified - Set of useful markers for marker assisted breeding and functional biodiversity conservation - Set up of an in Vitro Official Collection of potato wild species, breeding lines and varieties at the UCR - More than Costa Rican stakeholders and beneficiaries/ farmers, industrialists, consumers, etc.

39 Global Impact The conservation and sustainable use of the potato wild relatives and the production of novel potato varieties with resistance and tolerance to extreme climatic conditions (heat, drought, cold, flooding) and biotic stresses (pests, diseases) which can be grown with less demand for agro-chemicals.

40 Conclusions Potato is one of the most promising crops to fight hunger and poverty in the coming decades The high variability present in the wild potato relatives allows to breed new varieties to adapt extreme cultivation conditions. Intensive collecting, conservation, characterization and utilization of the wild potato relatives must be a priority and a responsability for the countries were potatoes are originated. Attention must be payed to countries were wild potatoes exist and are not being collected and preserved so far.

41 More funding sources should be focused on programms involved in potato wild species conservation, characterization and use. The use of new varieties with resistances to factors due to climate change, must be facilitated for all countries. The new varieties as well as breeding lines generated in our project, will be part of the multilateral system of the Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.

42 Thank you for your attention!!! Muchas gracias por su atención!!!