Breeding for Tolerance to Heat Stress and on Changing Environment: A Case Study on Potato

Potato crop is the fourth leading food crops in the world after maize, rice, and wheat. It is characterized by specific temperature requirements and develops best at about 20°C. Temperature is one of the essential uncontrollable factors affecting crop yield and heat stress has become a serious concern in many areas of the world. As most commercial potato cultivars are developed in temperate regions, therefore producing the greatest yield under long photoperiods and high temperatures is a serious problem. Thus our need increases for developing potato germplasm that can tolerate these adverse conditions. However, the development of new methodology, such as association genetics in conjunction with marker-assisted selection, offers promise that stress-tolerant germplasm can be developed as our need increases.