ABSTRACT Phytophthora infestans is the most important disease in potato crops. Its control is based on the use of chemical products that have developed pathogen resistance and high economic and environmental impacts. To reduce these effects, the use of plant varieties or cultivars resistant to this pathogen has been proposed. The aim of this study was to evaluate the heritability of resistance to this pathogen in a population of elite Solanum phureja genotypes. In this study, 1,355 clones with three replicates from 20 families were included in the evaluation. Heritability was assessed in the broad and narrow senses. Results of the relative area under the disease progress curve varied between 0.08 and 0.64, indicating that the population contains genes that code for resistance. Heritability in both directions (narrow 0.022 and broad 0.255) showed significant differences, indicating an influence of dominance genetic effects and environmental effects. Thus, to use these genotypes in potato breeding programs, hybridization methods should be used instead of selection methods.

ABSTRACT This work was carried out in Antioquia, Colombia, in a collection of the Furcraea and Agave genera, important in the country for manufacturing strings, sacks, geotextiles, and handicrafts Currently, to enhance its use, applications have been developed in textiles, biodegradable materials and thermo-acoustic insulation, among others. The aim of this study was to characterize phenotypically and agronomically 94 accessions. The variables were weighted according to the degree of discrimination; a dissimilarity dendrogram was constructed using UPGMA based on Gower's distance, and the cophenetic correlation coefficient was determined. Six groups were identified; on the one hand, the accessions of the Agave genus formed groups A and B, with and without spines, respectively, showing the highest elongation values. On the other hand, the Furcraea accessions formed groups C to F, with the highest average values of fiber per plant, allowing a first approach to identify promising clones for their use per se or utilized in plant breeding programs. This study represents an approach to knowing the morphological and agronomic variability of the collection and highlights the importance of maintaining the germplasm bank for ex situ conservation.

Potato powdery scab is caused by Spongospora subterranea f. sp. subterranea, an obligate parasite and soil-borne pathogen which affects the root system and tubers. It is also a vector of the pomovirus Potato mop-top virus (PMTV). This organism has resistance structures called cystosori which allows it to remain in the soil for years. This study aimed to determine the optimal conditions of temperature, inoculum sources and substrate for zoospore release, for future use in infectivity assays. Three experiments were conducted in which three inoculum sources (soil, roots and tubers), three liquid substrates (water, root extract and nutrient solution) and different temperatures were tested. Observations of mobile zoospores were made in a light microscope equipped with a Neubauer chamber, from 24 until 120 hours after inoculation. Significant differences were found among the different treatments, with the optimal conditions using root extract as inoculum source, temperature between 15 and 20°C, from 24 until 96 hours after inoculation.

La sarna polvosa de la papa es causada por Spongospora subterranea f. sp. subterranea, parasito obligado y patógeno del suelo, que afecta el sistema radicular y tubérculos de papa. Igualmente es vector del pomovirus Potato mop-top virus (PMTV). Este organismo posee quistosoros como estructuras de resistencia las cuales le confieren la posibilidad de permanecer en el suelo por años. Este estudio busca determinar bajo que condiciones de temperatura, fuentes de inóculo y sustratos se obtiene una máxima liberación de zoosporas con el fin de utilizar esta metodología en pruebas de infección de S. subterranea. Así se realizaron tres ensayos donde se evaluaron tres fuentes de inóculo (suelo, raíz, tubérculo), tres medios líquidos (agua, extracto de raíz y solución nutritiva) y diferentes temperaturas. Las observaciones fueron realizadas en microscopio con cámara de Neubauer por conteo de zoosporas móviles, con lecturas en el tiempo a partir de las 24 hasta las 120 horas. Se encontró como resultado diferencias significativas en los sustratos empleados para liberación manifestándose mayor liberación de zoosporas en extracto de raíz en temperatura fluctuante de 20-15°C a partir de las 24 horas de inoculación hasta las 96 horas.