Potato and sweetpotato breeding at the international potato center: approaches, outcomes and the way forward

Abstract

Root and tuber crop breeding is at the front and center of CIP's science program, which seeks to develop and disseminate sustainable agri-food technologies, information and practices to serve objectives including poverty alleviation, income generation, food security and the sustainable use of natural resources. CIP was established in 1971 in Peru, which is part of potato's center of origin and diversity, with an initial mandate on potato and expanding to include sweetpotato in 1986. Potato and sweetpotato are among the top 10 most consumed food staples globally and provide some of the most affordable sources of energy and vital nutrients. Sweetpotato plays a key role in securing food for many households in Africa and South Asia, while potato is important worldwide. Both crops grow in a range of conditions with relatively few inputs and simple agronomic techniques. Potato is adapted to the cooler environments, while sweetpotato grows well in hot climates, and hence, the two crops complement each other. Germplasm enhancement (pre-breeding), the development of new varieties and building capacity for breeding and variety testing in changing climates with emphasis on adaptation, resistance, nutritional quality and resource-use efficiency are CIP's central activities with significant benefits to the poor. Investments in potato and sweetpotato breeding and allied disciplines at CIP have resulted in the release of many varieties some of which have had documented impact in the release countries. Partnership with diverse types of organizations has been key to the centers way of working toward improving livelihoods through crop production in the global South.

Fig. 1

Potato mega-environments from Raymundo et al. . Figure reproduced with the permission of the original publisher Elsevier (License number 5573241457253)

Fig. 2

Approximate timeline of target traits and trait sources in CIP’s potato breeding program. The breeding pipelines are organized based on broad target agroecology: highland tropics (light green boxes) and lowland tropics (light blue boxes). Yellow boxes represent pipelines targeting both agroecologies. Black lines depict how germplasm from pipelines were combined. Orange lines ending in circle show the end point of the pipelines while the orange lines ending with an arrowhead depict pipelines that continue. ¹Reynolds and Ewing (1989), Watanabe et al. (1994), Watanabe et al. (1995), Mendoza and Haynes (1974, 1976), Mendoza, (1989), ²Li et al. (2012), Lindqvist-Kreuze et al. (2014), Lindqvist-Kreuze et al. (2021), Jiang et al. (2018), ³Mihovilovich et al. (2007), Velásquez et al. (2007), ⁴Amoros et al. (2020), ⁵ Pérez et al. (2001), Trognitz et al. (2001), Pérez et al. (2022), Villamon et al. (2005), Lindqvist-Kreuze et al. (2010), Ordoñez et al. (2023), ⁶Benavides et al. (2017), Muñoa et al. (2022), ⁷Ciampi and Sequeira, (1980), French and Lindo (1982), Priou et al. (2005), Gutarra et al. (2015), ⁸Niederhauser and Villarreal (1986), ⁹Pictipapa (1995), ¹⁰Mendoza et al. (1994), ¹¹https://www.scribd.com/document/72800341/Red-LatinPapa-Red-Iberoamericana-de-Innovacion-en-Mejoramiento-y-Diseminacion-de-la-Papa#, ¹²Sharma et al. (2020)

Fig. 3

Production of sweetpotato A and potato B in the One CGIAR regions, excluding China, aggregated based on the main usage types. OFSP = orange-fleshed sweetpotato, PFSP = purple-fleshed sweetpotato, WFSP = white-fleshed sweetpotato

Fig. 4

CIP-bred potato varieties (crosses made by CIP) selected and released by NARS (1982–2023) in One CGIAR regions Central West Asia and North Africa (CWANA), East and Southern Africa (ESA), Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), South Asia (SA), South-East Asia (SEA) and West and Central Africa (WCA)

Fig. 5

CIP bred sweetpotato varieties selected by NARS (2009–2023) in East and Southern Africa (ESA) and West and Central Africa (WCA). The varieties have the flesh colors orange (OFSP), purple (PFSP) and white (WFSP)