Genome Editing for Trait Improvement in Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.)

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is one of the potential solanaceous crop rich in carbohydrates, vitamins, essential amino acids, and minerals fulfilling the rising food demand of the global human population. However, the crop frequently suffers from various biotic (insect pest and disease) and abiotic (heat, cold, drought, and salinity) stresses, which cause substantial yield losses. Thus, developing improved potato varieties with better disease tolerance, stress resilience, tuber quality, and yield is urgently needed. Tetrasomic inheritance, heterozygosity, autopolyploidy, and clonal propagation are various limitations associated with potato breeding. Trait improvement in several crops has been revolutionized by the implementation of several advanced genome editing technologies, including meganucleases (MNs), zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs), transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs), and clustered regularly interspaced palindromic repeats/CRISPR-associated 9 (CRISPR/Cas9). In this context, the chapter encompasses the recent advancements in potato genome editing and discusses several improved traits. Also, future challenges and opportunities for potato genome editing are addressed.