The James Hutton Institute will undertake a £382,000 BBSRC-funded project to study genetic mutation in potato; which could lead to improved varieties of one of the world’s most important foods.
For any plant or animal some mutation of the genetic code occurs naturally and in plant crops any resulting changes in the function of one or more genes can result in beneficial traits.
Developing mutants with desirable traits can therefore be a useful tool for crop scientists looking to breed those characteristics into a plant population.
The mutant panel will be assessed for variation in traits relevant to potato breeding such as; tuber characteristics, plant architecture traits, and tuber sprouting and a panel of around 100 interesting mutants will be selected for further study.
In pilot experiments some interesting mutants have been identified and these will be studied as part of the grant to test a new approach for isolating mutated genes.
Bernardo Rodriguez-Salcedo [2], Media Manager, Tel: +44 (0)1224 395089 [3] (direct line), +44 (0)344 928 5428 [4] (switchboard) or +44 (0)7791 193918 [5] (mobile).
Links:
[1] https://www.hutton.ac.uk/staff/glenn-bryan
[2] mailto:bernardo.rodriguez-salcedo@hutton.ac.uk?subject=Query%20from%20Hutton%20website
[3] tel:+441224395089
[4] tel:+44344928 5428
[5] tel:+447791193918