Drought responses in Andean potato varieties

Andean potato varieties, S. tuberosum subsp. andigena, that are well adapted to harsh climatic conditions may provide an important primary gene pool for improving the stress responses of the more widely grown potato S. tuberosum subsp. Tuberosum. In this study, Ilumina RNA-sequencing was performed at early and late stages of exposure to drought stress and after rewatering, in leaf and root tissues of two Andigenum varieties with contrasting drought tolerance phenotypes. The objective was to identify key genes and molecular pathways associated with tolerance to drought to help inform the breeding of new S. tuberosum cultivars with improved yield and quality under drought stress.