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Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - G2P-SOL (Linking genetic resources, genomes and phenotypes of Solanaceous crops)

Teaser

Summary

G2P-SOL aims at bringing into full fruition the seeds from tens of thousands of genetic accessions of the four major Solanaceous food crops (potato, tomato, pepper and eggplant) that are stored in â€˜genebanksâ€™ worldwide. Understanding and utilising this genetic diversity is the key to the sustainability of agriculture in the face of a changing environment and the appearance of new pests and diseases. This is currently hampered by the scarce publicly available information on the variability of collections preserved in different genebanks. In order to raise awareness of the available diversity and stimulate its usage in breeding programmes, G2P-SOL wants to make all the genetic material that is presently stored in genebanks, and the linked phenotypic and genetic information, available to the general public, scientists and breeders. The main objectives of the project are the following:
- Inventory and conservation
The accessions of potato, tomato, pepper, eggplant and their wild relatives present in key European and international genebanks will be catalogued for wider use in farming and breeding. In the project, a network of repositories will be established where the germplasm is conserved and distributed to stakeholders on request. Additionally, a web-based G2P-SOL gateway will be set up, where the information is centrally made available in a unified, systemized and user-friendly way.
- Description and assessment
G2P-SOL will assess the genetic relationships, levels of diversity and extend of duplication in the collections and establish worldwide core collections, representing a large portion of the global genotypic and phenotypic variation for each of the four crops.
- Pre-breeding
Important traits with regard to pathogen-, pest-, and abiotic stress resistance, as well as yield and quality from wild, non-adapted germplasm will be introduced into elite germplasm which is adapted to field conditions and food systems. These novel sources for variation will be used for pre-breeding, phenotyping and made available to end-users.
-Dissemination, valorisation and training
All data and germplasm collected and produced during the project will be made publicly accessible through the G2P-SOL gateway. The cross-sectoral partners of G2P-SOL will organize workshops and training schools aimed at public and private sector breeders and farmers associations, in order to promote the inclusion of the genetic materials and the newly gained knowledge into breeding programmes and conservation practices.

Work performed

Inventory and conservation:
A common descriptor system has been developed for the four crops. Existing passport and phenotypic data, including images, have been collected for approximately 56,000 accessions of the four crops, as detailed in the picture enclosed.
All the data have been uploaded on the G2P-SOL gateway (http://www.g2p-sol.eu/G2P%2DSOL%2Dgateway.html) and are accessible to all users requesting access credentials.

Description and assessment
Low density genotyping protocols, able to score approximately 2,000 genetic loci for each of the four crops, have been optimized. DNA preparation from accessions is 80% completed, with DNAs prepared from approximately 30,000 accessions. Low density genotyping will be completed in the next 9 months and the data will be added to the G2P-SOL gateway, allowing the deduction of the population structure and the construction of core collections of the four crops. High-quality genome assemblies of eggplant (www.eggplantgenome.org) and of Solanum pennellii (http://www.plantcell.org/content/early/2017/10/12/tpc.17.00521) were produced and made publicly available by G2P-SOL partners, facilitating the interpretation of the genotypic data.

Pre-breeding
Over 50 segregating populations of the four crops, derived from intra- or inter-specific crosses are being assessed for a variety of novel quality- and disease resistance-related traits. This work is aimed at introducing at least 2 novel traits for each of the four crops into elite germplasm by mid-2019.

Dissemination, valorisation and training
The project results have been disseminated through oral communications at scientific meetings and peer-reviewed, open access publications. A list of all publications can be found on the G2P-SOL website (http://www.g2p-sol.eu/Publications.html). Two advanced and two entry-level training schools on the use of genetic resources will be organized in the course of the project. The first one (early stage), directed at breeders from South-East Asia, will be organized in early 2018 in Hyderabad, India. The information on the first entry-level school will be available soon on G2P-SOL website.

Final results

At present, the utility of the accessions stored in most genebanks is limited by several constraints: the information available from the various genebanks is often incomplete or poorly cross-compatible. Sourcing germplasm from different collections involves a lot of guesswork, and the difficulty to rationally select genotypes is increased by the need to browse through a diversity of databases in which different data sets are presented in various different formats and, sometimes, languages. The phenotypic and genotypic information made available on the G2P-SOL gateway will tremendously increase the value of such collections. Through its inventory and information activities, G2P-SOL will promote the use of biodiverse germplasm by all users, including SMEs and public sector breeders.