QTL mapping of internal heat necrosis in tetraploid potato

Internal heat necrosis (IHN) is a physiological disorder of potato tubers. We developed a linkage map of tetraploid potato using AFLP and SSR markers, and mapped QTL for mean severity and percent incidence of IHN. Phenotypic data indicated that the distribution of IHN is skewed toward resistance. Late foliage maturity was slightly but significantly correlated with increased IHN symptoms. The linkage map for ‘Atlantic’, the IHN-susceptible parent, covered 1034.4 cM and included 13 linkage groups, and the map for B1829-5, the IHN-resistant parent, covered 940.2 cM and contained 14 linkage groups. QTL for increased resistance to IHN were located on chromosomes IV, V, and groups VII and X of ‘Atlantic’, and on group VII of B1829-5 in at least 2 of 3 years. The QTL explained between 4.5 and 29.4% of the variation for mean severity, and from 3.7 to 14.5% of the variation for percent incidence. Most QTL detected were dominant, and associated with decreased IHN symptoms. One SSR and 13 AFLP markers that were linked to IHN were tested in a second population. One AFLP marker was associated with decreased symptoms in both populations. The SSR marker was not associated with IHN in the second population, but was closely linked in repulsion to another marker that was associated with IHN, and had the same (negative) effect on the trait as the SSR marker did in the first population. The correlation between maturity and IHN may be partially explained by the presence of markers on chromosome V that are linked to both traits. This research represents the first molecular genetic research of IHN in potato.