High regrowth of potato crop wild relative genotypes after cryogenic storage

Potatoes are consumed by millions of people and are the survival food in several countries. Cultivated varieties of potato (Solanum tubersosum L.) are results of selection and crossing of many wild species. Only 8-13% of wild potato species used for food are preserved by either in situ or ex situ methods. The U.S. National Potato Germplasm Collection maintains over 5900 accessions, of which 75% are crop wild relatives (CWR). The objective of the study was to investigate regrowth of cryogenically stored clonal propagules (shoot tips) of selected CWR accessions maintained in the collection. Sixty-nine accessions from 30 Solanum species and six accessions that are not yet assigned to a species were cryopreserved by a droplet vitrification method at the NLGRP. The post cryopreservation regrowth varied from 40 to 100% (average 68%) but was not significantly different between the tested accessions. Regrowth of six accessions tested after 10 years of cryogenic storage was between 35 and 90% (average 66%) and was significantly different from their initial regrowth (average 87%); the largest viability loss was in S. condolleanum; but for the other five accessions the regrowth was between 45 and 90% (average 72%) and suggested at least 10 years of successful storage in LN was possible. Twelve potato wild species cryopreserved in this study were reported in literature as important for developing cultivated varieties for changed weather conditions.