Abstract

In order to investigate further the interest of using the Chilean gene pool in potato breeding programmes, the genetic diversity and population structure of a collection of Solanum tuberosum L. genotypes including 350 worldwide varieties or breeders' lines (referred to as the modern group) and 30 Chiloe Island landraces were examined using simple sequence repeat markers. The close genetic proximity of the Chiloe Island landraces to the modern group was confirmed using several structure analysis methods: principal coordinate analysis; hierarchical clustering analysis; analysis of molecular variance; Bayesian model-based clustering analysis. The latter analysis, in particular, revealed no clear genetic structure between the modern group and the Chiloe Island landraces. The Chiloe Island germplasm appears to represent an interesting gene pool that could be exploited in potato breeding programmes using an association mapping approach.