“Evolutionary Lens” accelerates hybrid potato breeding (Phylogenomic discovery of deleterious mutations facilitates hybrid potato) (Wu Yaoyao,Dawei Li and Yong Hu  first author; Huang Sanwen, corresponding author, Agricultural Genomics Institute, CAAS)

Potato is the most important tuber crop globally. The “U-Potato Plan” has revolutionized the breeding methods for potatoes, leading the industry towards a “green revolution”. To accelerate hybrid potato breeding, this study analyzed 100 Solanaceae genomes, developed the “Evolutionary Lens” technology, generated the first two-dimensional map of functional genomic sites and deleterious mutations across the entire potato genome, proposed counterintuitive inbred line breeding methods, and developed a new genome-wide prediction model. This unprecedented accuracy in predicting potato yields has accelerated the process of hybrid potato breeding, placing China at the forefront of potato breeding theoretical foundations and technologies worldwide.