Potato Research Group

Last modified: 05. September 2022

Introduction of the group 

The group has two research objectives. Tasks of both projects have fundamental and applied research elements. A senior scientist, a research associate, two PhD students and a technician work in the group.

Research objectives 

Project 1 Molecular studies on early tuber bulking in potato. High temperature and drought are the major yield constraints. Maturity is an important breeding trait because early-maturing potato cultivars complete their life cycle before stress becomes a serious constraint and, therefore, are more profitable for growers. Thus, one of our research goals is the identification of the molecular background of early tuber bulking in potato. To achieve this goal metabolite analysis of early- and late maturing potato cultivars and lines and their grafts will be performed. Furthermore, isolation of early tuberising potato lines with targeted mutagenesis using the CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing system will be attempted and the mutants characterised at transcriptome and metabolome level.  

Project 2 Generation of bacterial wilt resistant potato genotypes. The causing agent of bacterial wilt is Ralstonia solanacearum. This bacterium is a generalist and infects several crops including melon, tobacco, tomato and potato. R. solanacearum is a quarantine bacterium. Thus, the infected tubers should be destroyed. The bacterial wilt largely contributed to the reduction of seed potato production in Hungary. Since no efficient protection method is known against Ralstonia generation of resistant cultivars would be the best solution. Our aim is to study the molecular response of potato plants to Ralstonia infection and generate resistant lines by targeted mutation of susceptibility genes. The experiments are performed in collaboration with the scientists of the Centre for Agricultural Research of Eötvös Loránd Research Network.