Development of Meloidogyne chitwoodi resistant potato lines

Meloidogyne chitwoodi is an important root-knot nematode in some potato production regions of Türkiye. Crop rotation and some chemical and cultural control methods remain ineffective in controlling this nematode. Developing resistant varieties is an environmentally safe and most effective solution for M. chitwoodi. The current study was aimed at the development of M. chitwoodi-resistant potato lines and varieties adapted to different regions. Two breeding populations (‘22-99: PP-89 X Maradonna’, ‘22-108: PP-85 X Banba’) and two offspring populations (‘32-12: 22-99-33 X Provento’; ‘32-10: 22-108-24 X Saturna’) were used as genetic material. Meloidogyne chitwoodi molecular marker and field pathogenicity tests were used for investigation of M. chitwoodi-resistant lines and varieties. The results of the molecular marker and field tests were compatible. A total of 112 potato breeding lines were evaluated In two populations and 81 were resistant to M. chitwoodi. Consequently, potato line of number 33 from the 22-99 population and potato line of number 24 from the 108-24 population, along with their superior agronomic and yield characteristics, were chosen as M. chitwoodi-resistant lines according to the marker and field test studies. Overall the results suggest that resistant varieties can be improved by large-scale molecular markers and field tests.