Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
“blueprint” for sensory quality that can be used
to predict product consistency and acceptability
of different genotypes.
Once the key genes and metabolites that im-
pact on flavor have been identified, the question
arises as to the best way of improving potato ger-
mplasm. As illustrated in this chapter, transgenic
approaches provide a rapid means of determin-
ing the impact of a candidate flavor gene. However,
despite the continued growth in the production
of transgenic crops, public opinion in many
markets is still vehemently opposed to genetic-
ally modified (GM) solutions. It may be argued
that the tide of public opinion is changing as
more and more GM produce is consumed; how-
ever, the regulatory processes for getting a GM
product to market still impose serious economic
constraints on commercialization. Traits that
have a major economic advantage are likely to
be the ones developed for GM crops in the near
future, and quality traits such as flavor are likely
to lag behind.
More realistically, marker-assisted breeding
approaches are likely to be the way forward in
improving potato tuber flavor. It has been seen
already that germplasm derived from Phureja
potatoes has enhanced flavor, and it would be of
interest to investigate the flavor metabolites in
germplasm collections.
The transfer of complex traits, controlled by
many genes, into a modern, high-yielding culti-
var represents a serious challenge to potato
breeders and scientists alike. However, recent ad-
vances in genome and transcriptome sequen-
cing, better understanding of the metabolic
pathways, together with high-throughput mo-
lecular marker screening now makes breeding
for flavor much more realistic. Stacking of the
multiple, independent genes likely to be needed
for flavor quality improvement is now technically
possible. The identification of the appropriate
genes and alleles needed is within our grasp, and
represents an exciting possibility to restore the
dwindling popularity of potato consumption.
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