Multi-Parental Population Linkage and QTL Analysis for Sprouting-Related Traits in Potato

Post-harvest sprouting causes significant qualitative and economic losses during potato tuber storage. Unraveling the genetic architecture of sprouting-related traits is crucial for developing potato varieties with longer dormancy. This study aimed to construct a consensus genetic linkage map and identify genomic regions associated with morphological and sprouting-related traits. A multi-parental population was developed by crossing five females with three male parents. This resulted in eight full-sib families, each comprising 36 to 59 individuals, totaling 348. This population was used to construct a genetic linkage map that spans 1,480.82 cM with 2,264 single-nucleotide polymorphisms. Phenotypes were regressed against parental haplotypes. A total of five significant quantitative trait loci (QTLs) were identified. For eye depth, a major QTL was identified on chromosome 2, which accounts for 14% of the total phenotypic variance. Additionally, we detected two QTLs for the number of sprouts on chromosomes 4 and 6, accounting for 10% and 12% of the variance, respectively. Furthermore, two QTLs on chromosomes 10 and 11 explained 7 and 9% of the phenotypic variance for apical sprout length. These findings show that high-density genetic map improves understanding of sprouting traits, identifies QTLs for breeding, and reveals that different parental haplotypes can influence trait expression.