Czech J. Genet. Plant Breed., X:X

Genetic diversity analysis of Solanum accessions from Czech collections of potato genetic resources using nuclear SSR markersOriginal Paper

Zuzana Rottová1, Tereza Anna Javůrková1, Petr Sedlák ORCID...1, Jiří Ptáček2, Eloy Fernández-Cusimamani ORCID...3, Vladimíra Sedláková ORCID...1*
1 Department of Genetics and Breeding, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
2 Department of Genetic Resources, Potato Research Institute Havlíčkův Brod, Ltd., Havlíčkův Brod, Czech Republic
3 Department of Crop Science and Agroforestry, Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic

The genus Solanum comprises numerous wild and cultivated species that are important for potato breeding. This pilot-scale study aimed to evaluate the genetic diversity in 44 accessions from Solanum sect. Petota, comprising wild species, Andean landraces, and modern cultivars, obtained from the Potato Research Institute Havlíčkův Brod, Ltd. and the Department of Crop Sciences and Agroforestry at the Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague. Nuclear microsatellite markers (SSR, 29 loci) were applied via five multiplex PCR reactions and analysed using capillary electrophoresis. Binary data matrices were analysed using DARwin software to generate dendrograms reflecting allelic polymorphism. The SSR panel effectively differentiated cultivated accessions from wild types, consistent with the current taxonomy of the genus Solanum, with particularly clear clustering of Andean landraces and modern varieties. However, resolution among wild accessions was limited, likely due to their high genetic complexity and interspecific overlap. These results support the suitability of the SSR panel for analysing diversity in cultivated potatoes. while also highlighting the challenges in resolving wild Solanum taxa. This study contributes to germplasm characterisation and provides a molecular basis for future breeding programmes.

Keywords: DNA polymorphism; germplasm conservation; microsatellite markers; multiplex PCR; wild potatoes

Received: October 10, 2025; Revised: December 18, 2025; Accepted: December 18, 2025; Prepublished online: January 18, 2026 

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