The genetic basis of inbreeding depression in potato

Inbreeding depression confers reduced fitness among the offspring of genetic relatives. As a clonally propagated crop, potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) suffers from severe inbreeding depression; however, the genetic basis of inbreeding depression in potato is largely unknown. To gain insight into inbreeding depression in potato, we evaluated the mutation burden in 151 diploid potatoes and obtained 344,831 predicted deleterious substitutions. The deleterious mutations in potato are enriched in the pericentromeric regions and are line specific. Using three F₂ populations, we identified 15 genomic regions with severe segregation distortions due to selection at the gametic and zygotic stages. Most of the deleterious recessive alleles affecting survival and growth vigor were located in regions with high recombination rates. One of these deleterious alleles is derived from a rare mutation that disrupts a gene required for embryo development. This study provides the basis for genome design of potato inbred lines.