Guo Tianxia

Author    Correspondence author
Field Crop, 2025, Vol. 8, No.   
Received: 01 Jan., 1970    Accepted: 01 Jan., 1970    Published: 26 Aug., 2025

The potato is a globally important food crop, and its key agronomic traits, such as tuber shape, yield and stress resistance, have a significant impact on agricultural production and market value. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis, as an important means to reveal the genetic mechanism of complex traits, provides theoretical support and technical guidance for the improvement of potato traits. This review systematically compiles the research progress on QTL mapping of key agronomic traits of potatoes in recent years, with a focus on summarizing the distribution and functional analysis of the main QTLS that control tuber shape, yield, and disease and stress resistance, and clarifying the key genetic loci and genes related to these traits. For instance, the Ro site on chromosome 10 is significantly correlated with the shape of the tuber, and multiple QTLS have been confirmed to make significant contributions to tuber yield and disease and stress resistance. Meanwhile, by integrating multi-omics methods such as genome-wide association studies (GWAS), transcriptomics, and epigenetics, the molecular mechanisms of trait regulation were further elaborated in depth. This review also explores the influence of gene-environment interactions on QTL expression, as well as the application prospects of marker-assisted selection (MAS) and gene editing techniques in potato breeding. By integrating genetic and environmental factors, it is expected that the development of superior potato varieties will be accelerated in the future, providing support for food security and sustainable agricultural development.