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Context: Development of high-yielding potato cultivars represents the most efficient and sustainable strategy to secure global food and nutrition. In the past decades, numerous quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping studies have identified various QTLs associated with morphological traits in potato. However, the varying genetic backgrounds of germplasm and the diverse QTL analysis algorithms restrict the utility of identified QTLs for research. Aims: One of the primary objectives of breeders is to identify consistent chromosomal regions linked to economically significant quantitative traits associated with yield through QTL analysis. To achieve this, an investigation was conducted to pinpoint the most stable QTLs for traits such as maturity, harvest index, plant height, stem diameter, tuber starch content, sprouting, and flesh colour. Methods: In order to detect stable QTLs for major agronomic traits, metaQTL analysis was performed using 294 QTLs from 14 publications. Key results: A total of 10 metaQTLs were found to be associated with seven morphological traits. Meta-analysis was considerably refined as compared to the initial QTLs and provided the closest flanking markers for investigated traits and reduce confidence interval mainly to five folds as compared to the mean confidence interval of initial QTLs. The metaQTLs of morphological traits juxtaposed along Chromosomes II, III, IV, and V from independent studies were considered the most stable QTLs over different field trails and genetic background. Conclusions: Ten metaQTLs were identified that contain major consensus QTLs for various morphological traits in potato. Implications: This study will enable the integration of QTLs to create new cultivars with targeted quantitative traits, thereby accelerating breeding initiatives. For decades, potato breeding has been hindered by high diversity and genetic complexity. We identified the individual locations of genes that contribute to potato yield, by analysing data from 14 prior studies. This knowledge will accelerate breeding programmes. This article belongs to the Collection Plant breeding- and genetics-based tools for food security under changing climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Potato is considered a key component of the global food system and plays a vital role in strengthening world food security. A major constraint to potato production worldwide is the Potato Virus Y (PVY), belonging to the genus Potyvirus in the family of Potyviridae. Selective breeding of potato with resistance to PVY pathogens remains the best method to limit the impact of viral infections. Understanding the genetic diversity and population structure of potato germplasm is important for breeders to improve new cultivars for the sustainable use of genetic materials in potato breeding to PVY pathogens. While, genetic diversity improvement in modern potato breeding is facing increasingly narrow genetic basis and the decline of the genetic diversity. In this research, we performed genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS)-based diversity analysis on 10 commercial potato cultivars and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) to identify candidate genes related to PVY-resistance. WGCNA is a system biology technique that uses the WGCNA R software package to describe the correlation patterns between genes in multiple samples. In terms of consumption, these cultivars are a high rate among Iranian people. Using population structure analysis, the 10 cultivars were clustered into three groups based on the 118343 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) generated by GBS. Read depth ranged between 5 and 18. The average data size and Q30 of the reads were 145.98 Mb and 93.63%, respectively. Based on the WGCNA and gene expression analysis, the StDUF538, StGTF3C5, and StTMEM161A genes were associated with PVY resistance in the potato genome. Further, these three hub genes were significantly involved in defense mechanism where the StTMEM161A was involved in the regulation of alkalization apoplast, the StDUF538 was activated in the chloroplast degradation program, and the StGTF3C5 regulated the proteins increase related to defense in the PVY infected cells. In addition, in the genetic improvement programs, these hub genes can be used as genetic markers for screening commercial cultivars for PVY resistance. Our survey demonstrated that the combination of GBS-based genetic diversity germplasm analysis and WGCNA can assist breeders to select cultivars resistant to PVY as well as help design proper crossing schemes in potato breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]