Accelerated potato breeding using genomics (ENRA 2025 poster)

Disease-related crop losses threaten UK potato production, with £50 million spent annually controlling late blight alone. Potato cyst nematodes further endanger the seed industry. Genomic tools, particularly diagnostic Resistance gene enrichment Sequencing (dRenSeq), have transformed resistance breeding. Our research generated high-resolution disease resistance gene profiles for 657 commercial cultivars and 200 wild accessions worldwide. This resource informs parental selection, enables strategic stacking of resistance genes against major pests and diseases, and accelerates marker development. Critically, it has shortened the breeding cycle from 10–12 years to as little as seven, expediting delivery of resistant, high-performing potato varieties to growers.