GENETIC VARIABILITY FOR MICRONUTRIENT CONTENT IN ANDIGENA POTATO GENOTYPES

Micronutrient deficiencies in the diet lead to hidden hunger, which has become a global public health issue. Potato is a modest source of micronutrients. Genetic variability in potato germplasm can be exploited for developing micronutrient rich cultivars. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the tuber mineral concentrations in 37 Andigena (Solanum tuberosum ssp. andigena) accessions. The selected accessions were grown in fields under uniform agronomic conditions with sufficient supply of nutrients. The selected accessions showed high levels of morphological diversity in terms of tuber shape, eye depth and flesh colour. After harvesting seven uniform sized tubers for each accession were selected and the micronutrient concentrations in the flesh of the tuber were analysed via inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Considerable variations were observed in the concentrations of Iron (Fe), Zinc (Zn), Copper (Cu) and Manganese (Mn) in the tuber flesh. The concentrations of Fe varied from 18.03 to 45.97 mg/kg, Zn from 12.33 to 33.87 mg/kg, Cu from 4.43 to 22.47 mg/kg and Mn from 7.27 to 29.80 mg/kg of dry weight. The percent tuber flesh dry matter content ranged from 13.49% to 24.99%. A positive correlation between Fe and Cu content was found (r= 0.39, P-value ≤ 0.05). These variations in the mineral concentrations indicate that different accessions have differential genetic capabilities for micronutrients, as these accessions were grown under uniform conditions. The most promising andigena accessions were JEX/A-288, JEX/A-539, and JEX/A-907 for micronutrient content while JEX/A-468 and JEX/A-707 for dry matter content. The knowledge of diversity present in the tetraploid Andigena potato population can catalyse the breeding programs aimed to develop nutrient rich, high-yielding potato varieties.