StSP6A: a key regulator integrating multiple signals for potato tuber formation

As the world's third most important food crop, the yield of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is directly determined by the process of tuber formation. Solanum tuberosum Self-Pruning 6A (StSP6A), a key member of Flowering Locus T (FT) family, acts as a mobile tuberigen and serves as a key integrator of diverse tuberization signals. This article systematically reviews how StSP6A, at the center of a complex regulatory network, integrates multiple environmental cues and endogenous factors, such as photoperiod, temperature, and sucrose, to control tuber formation. Elucidating this network would provide a crucial framework for molecular breeding in potato.