Publication on the genetic diversity of European potato
© Stephan Geiger
Together with a team of reserachers the CEPLAS members assembled a phased pan-genome of tetraploid European potatoes using genome assemblies from ten historical cultivars. They captured approximately 85% of the haplotype diversity present in European potatoes and discovered exceptionally high sequence diversity (about 20x greater than in humans) but identified relatively few distinct haplotypes, likely due to domestication and historical genetic bottlenecks. Subsequently the researchers converted the pan-genome into a haplotype graph, enabling accurate reconstruction of potato genomes using only short-read sequencing data. The researchers also created a new kind of genetic map that makes it easier and cheaper to explore and study potato DNA.