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Purchase seeds or tubers of Solanum paucissectum

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Description

Solanum paucissectum is a wild potato from Peru.  Plants are usually low-lying, sometimes as much as two feet tall.  Flowers white to light blue.  Berries small and ovoid.

The specific epithet, paucissectum, means “poorly divided,” presumably referring to the arrangement of the leaflets.  It is formed from the Latin words “paucus,” for “few,” and “sectum,” for “cut.”  While there is no completely standardized pronunciation for scientific names, the most common way to pronounce this species is probably so-LAY-num pau-sih-SEK-tum.

Jarvis (2008) predicts that this species will lose 95% of its present range by 2055 due to climate change, most likely entailing a critical loss of genetic diversity.

Resistances

Vega (1995) found that this species is much more frost tolerant than domesticated potato.  This is often true in low growing species.

Condition	Type	Level of Resistance	Source
Alfalfa Mosaic Virus (AMV)	Virus	Resistant	Horvath 1989
Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Colorado Potato Beetle)	Invertebrate	Resistant	Pelletier 2007
Phytophthora infestans (Late Blight)	Fungus	Resistant	Villamon 2005
Potato Virus X (PVX)	Virus	Resistant	Horvath 1989
Tobacco Rattle Virus (TRV)	Virus	Resistant	Horvath 1989

Glykoalkaloid content

I have found no accounts of glycoalkaloid content for this species.  Tubers that I have tasted were mildly to moderately bitter.

Images

Cultivation

I have found this species difficult to germinate and with poor seedling survival, but that could be a consequence of choosing the wrong accessions.  I have now managed to get enough seedlings to propagate from the two USDA accessions, so we’ll hopefully soon be able to test fresh seed.

Accessions Evaluated

The following accessions were examined to prepare this profile.  I have evaluated 3/3 accessions currently available from the US potato genebank.

PI 365340

Poor germination but reasonably strong seedling growth.  White flowers and green stems.

PI 473489

Poor and irregular germination and weak seedling growth.  It did eventually produce a few healthy plants though.  White flowers and green stems.

PI 590922

An in vitro accession from Piura, Peru.  Certainly the easiest way that I found to grow this often difficult to germinate species.  Blue flowers and dark stems.  CIP public domain MTA.

Breeding

Crosses with S. tuberosum

Female	Male	Berry Set	Seed Set	Germination	Ploidy	Source
S. tuberosum 4x	S. paucissectum	None	None			Jackson (1999)
S. tuberosum 2x	S. paucissectum	Yes	Low			Villamon 2005
S. paucissectum	S. tuberosum 4x	None	None			Jackson (1999)
S. paucessectum	S. tuberosum 2x	Yes	No			Villamon 2005

Crosses with other species

Jackson (1999) found 6% 2n pollen for varieties of this species.

Female	Male	Berry Set	Seed Set	Germination	Ploidy	Source

References

Solanum paucissectum at Solanaceae Source

Solanum paucissectum at GRIN Taxonomy

Solanum paucissectum at CIP