Genomics Resources for Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Solanaceae Crops

Abstract

The study of abiotic stresses in plants is crucial for an understanding of the mechanisms involved in responses to these stresses. The complex nature of abiotic stress-related traits and the occurrence of more than one stress simultaneously further complicate the study. The availability of genomic tools and resources allows a leap in plant breeding by facilitating the study of the genotype and its relationship with the phenotype. The development of techniques such as Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) allowed the sequencing of genomes of cultivars and their wild relatives, enriching the available genetic as well as genomic resources. Genome-wide discovery of markers and quantitative trait loci are used for marker-assisted selection and breeding. The availability of the genome sequence information has expedited several downstream analyses, including genome-wide identification and expression profiling of the genes associated with stress response. This is coupled with the use of mutants and transgenics to elucidate and verify the function of genes in a high-throughput fashion. In this chapter, the progress made in the generation and enrichment of genomic resources of Solanum tuberosum and S. lycopersicum are discussed from the point of view of genetic improvement for abiotic stress tolerance.