Genetius

CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knock‑out of the starch‑binding protein LESV in Solanum tuberosum resulted in severely reduced starch granule diameter and altered granule number, mimicking phenotypes of ISA1/ISA2 antisense lines. Yeast two‑hybrid assays confirmed a physical interaction between LESV and ISA1, supporting a cooperative role of LESV with the ISA1/ISA2 isoamylase complex in early starch granule formation, while ESV1 mutants showed no starch phenotype.

Potato seedlings were subjected to fall armyworm, Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato, or both, revealing that the bacterium mitigates the insect's impact on plant height and alters physiological traits such as stomatal conductance, transpiration efficiency, and water use efficiency. Comprehensive correlation analyses and leaf metabolomic profiling showed distinct morpho‑physiological and metabolic responses, with evidence of interaction and possible deterrence of the pest by the bacterium.

The study shows that the ERF transcription factor PTI5, previously identified as a susceptibility factor, is strongly induced during Bacillus subtilis biofilm establishment on potato roots and modulates ethylene‑dependent immune signaling. Silencing PTI5 enhances bacterial abundance and increases colonization by the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Rhizophagus irregularis, indicating PTI5 restricts both pathogenic and beneficial microbial interactions. These findings provide mechanistic insight for managing beneficial plant‑microbe relationships in crops.

The study characterized the diel transcriptome of cultivated tetraploid potato, revealing that cyclic alleles are more highly expressed, co‑expressed across conditions, and exhibit stronger purifying selection than non‑cyclic alleles. Genes with fully rhythmic expression are enriched for core functions such as photosynthesis and ribosome biogenesis, and photoperiod‑dependent phase shifts in ribosome biogenesis and pathogen response genes are linked to specific transcription factors. The findings also suggest additional regulatory mechanisms beyond CO transcription enable tuberization under long days.

The study identified a novel mitochondrial open reading frame, orf320, uniquely present in potatoes with the T/β-type cytoplasm and demonstrated that its overexpression in tomato induces male sterility, confirming its role as a candidate CMS gene. Screening of 126 potato cultivars showed orf320 is absent in other cytoplasmic types, highlighting its potential utility for managing CMS in potato breeding.

The study engineered a Spunta potato variety (Solanum tuberosum) by co‑expressing Arabidopsis thaliana NICOTIANAMINE SYNTHASE 1 (AtNAS1) and Phaseolus vulgaris FERRITIN (PvFERRITIN) to increase tuber iron and zinc levels. The best transgenic line, FN4, showed a 2.1‑fold increase in iron and a 1.8‑fold increase in zinc without compromising yield, delivering up to 33.3% of the recommended dietary allowance for iron and 19.8% for zinc in a typical serving.

The study evaluated Frangula alnus bark extracts, alone and combined with reduced copper, for controlling potato late blight caused by Phytophthora infestans in field and laboratory experiments. Frangula alnus decreased disease severity, with efficacy dependent on dosage and disease pressure, and anthraquinones likely contributed to the effect, while Erwinia spp. from the extract mediated most in‑vitro inhibition but not in‑planta activity. Copper, whether full or reduced, consistently reduced disease, and potato variety had a stronger influence on yield than the treatments.