QTL discovery for agronomic and quality traits in diploid potato clones using PotatoMASH amplicon sequencing.

We genotyped a population of 618 diploid potato clones derived from six independent potato-breeding programmes from NW-Europe. The diploids were phenotyped for 23 traits, using standardized protocols and common check varieties, enabling us to derive whole population estimators for most traits. We subsequently performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) for all traits with SNPs and short-read haplotypes derived from read-backed phasing.

Exploitation of a marker dense linkage map of potato for positional cloning of a wart disease resistance gene.

A marker-saturated linkage map of potato was used to genetically map a locus involved in the resistance against wart disease Synchytrium endobioticum race 1. The locus mapped on the long arm of chromosome 4 and is named Sen1-4 in contrast to a Sen1 locus on chromosome 11. The AFLP markers from the Sen1-4 interval enabled the isolation of BAC clones from an 11 genome equivalent BAC library.

Nitrogen-13 and xenon-133 ventilation studies.

Due to the solubility of xenon-133 in blood and tissues, errors are introduced in the determination of regional pulmonary ventilation. We investigated these errors by comparing the results from ventilation measurements with Xe-133 and N-13 in five normal subjects (both at rest and during exercise) and in seven patients after a pneumonectomy. In the normal subjects at rest, the upper lung fields showed no significant difference in the uptake rates of the two gases.

An improved method for the analysis of xenon-133 washin and washout curves.

A method is described for analysis of xenon-133 washin and washout curves, in the presence of a slowly varying background. The method uses least-squares fitting of a single exponential together with a quadratic function to correct for the background. The method has been applied both to simulated data and to data from 25 patients.