Potato viruses in Kazakhstan and methods for obtaining virus-free seed material

Abstract

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is a staple food worldwide, including in Kazakhstan. The potato yield in 2021 in the country was only 20 tonnes per ha, which is a rather low indicator. One of the main reasons for the insufficient yield of potatoes in Kazakhstan is the low quality of seed material, and the main requirement for high-quality seed material is the absence of viral diseases. Viral diseases in crops are a major impediment to sustainable potato production, as they cause large losses in crop quantity and quality. To date, 40 viral potato diseases have been discovered worldwide. Depending on the infection of viral diseases, the yield can be reduced by up to 90% in crop production. In this review, we discuss in detail the current state of potato viral diseases in Kazakhstan and characterise the most common potato viruses in the country, including potato virus M (PVM), potato virus (PVS), potato virus X (PVX), potato virus Y (PVY) and potato leafroll virus (PLRV). To ensure food security of the country and prevent the spread of infection with viral diseases, popular methods (ELISA, RT-PCR and detection of specific types of targets using microarrays) for the early detection of potato plant viruses in seed and field material are considered. For the mass production of virus-free potato plant material, the use of temporary immersion bioreactors is discussed, as well as the use of modern genetic engineering methods to obtain plant varieties resistant to the most common viral diseases.