The Solanum Commersonii Genome Sequence

Solanum commersonii (2n = 2x = 24, 1EBN) is an important wild potato relative that has garnered attention for its high tolerance to cold and bacterial wilt. Although several efforts have been devoted to traits introgression from this wild species into the cultivated genepool, its genetic potential remains largely untapped. Now, the development of genomic resources for S. commersonii is gaining momentum, and we expect that they will soon impact the harnessing of this promising wild species in the release of new potato verities displaying introgression of traits from it. After illustrating the whole-genome structure and organization of S. commersonii, this chapter describes the main genomic resources developed so far and how they have been used to distill the diversity of several gene families playing key biological roles, such as RNA silencing mechanisms, secondary metabolites biosynthesis, and transcriptional factors. Finally, we provide a general overview of the breeding strategies used to exploit S. commersonii genetic potential and provide perspectives to develop superior stress-tolerant cultivars