IDENTIFICATION OF PROMISING HIGH STARCH POTATO SAMPLES

Starch is the most important component of potato tubers, the content and structure of which play a decisive role in its use during processing and storage. In this work, a comprehensive assessment of potato samples from the collection Russian Potato Research Centre and hybrids was carried out to determine the starch content during 2021-2024. The assessment was carried out using materials from the genetic collection, including forms of wild and cultivated species, varieties and interspecific hybrids of various origins. In addition to the traditional method of quantitative assessment of starch content based on determining the specific gravity followed by calculation using the empirical formula, a comprehensive assessment was proposed that takes into account the average weight of tubers in the records. About 250 samples of the collection were assessed each year. Based on the results of 2021 and previous studies, 12 samples with a consistently high starch content were identified. The 2022 studies also identified 16 accessions with high starch content, including accessions with complex interspecific origin and interspecific hybrids of species such as S. stoloniferum, S. pinnatisectum, and S. alandiae. In 2023, 10 accessions promising in terms of starch content were identified, including two accessions from the dihaploid collection with a starch content of more than 26%. In 2024, 16 hybrids with high starch content and 3 accessions with a starch content of more than 23% were identified in the analyzed sample. Despite the fact that high starch content requires confirmation of the stability of the trait in subsequent years, as part of the work done, accessions promising for further use in breeding programs were identified, including both varieties and complex interspecific hybrids.