Genomic and pangenomic resources for potato improvement: harnessing diversity from wild relatives

While potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is the world's most important non-cereal food crop, its production faces increasing pressure from climate change, pests, and pathogens. Genetic diversity among its wild relatives in the Solanum section Petota has long contributed to improving cultivated lines. This mini review contributes by examining how genomic advances have transformed our ability to utilize this genetic diversity, from domestication to the first doubled monoploid reference genome and the recent developments in polyploid genome assembly and super-pangenome construction. Analyses of these resources reveal that wild species exhibit extensive allelic diversity for stress tolerance, with examples including frost resistance from S. commersonii and S. acaule Bitt., late blight resistance from S. demissum Lindl. and others, and Colorado potato beetle resistance from S. okadae Hawkes. We conclude that integrating genetic material from potato wild relatives with improved variety germplasm provides an essential pathway for developing climate-resilient potato varieties. Consistent and increasing pangenome characterization will be essential for identifying novel genes conferring pathogen resistance, stress tolerance, and agronomic traits, particularly given the complex polyploid nature and extensive phenotypic diversity of the potato.