Jose Ignacio Ruiz De Galarreta

• PhD
• Senior Researcher at Neiker-Basque Institute for Agricultural Research and Development

The journey of the potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) from South America to the rest of the world has generated a prolific literature regarding the discovery of this crop, its early consumption and cultivation in the Old World. An important part of that literature concerns the Canary Islands. The islands were the only exception to the Spanish trade mono...

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is often considered a water-sensitive crop and its production can be threatened by drought events, making water stress tolerance a trait of increasing interest. In this study, a panel of 144 tetraploid potato genotypes was evaluated for two consecutive years (2019 and 2020) to observe the variation of several physiolog...

Cold reduces maize (Zea mays L.) production and delays sowings. Cold tolerance in maize is very limited, and breeding maize for cold tolerance is still a major challenge. Our objective was to detect QTL for cold tolerance at germination and seedling stages. We evaluated, under cold and control conditions, 919 Dent and 1009 Flint inbred lines from t...

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is one of the most important crops worldwide, but due to its sensitivity to drought, its production can be affected by water availability. In this study, the varieties Agria and Zorba were used to determine the expression differences between control and water-stressed plants. For this purpose, they were sequenced by RN...

The potato ( Solanum tuberosum L.) is the world’s fifth most important staple food with high socioeconomic relevance. Several potato cultivars obtained by selection and crossbreeding are currently on the market. This diversity causes tubers to exhibit different behaviors depending on the processing to which they are subjected. Therefore, it is inte...

Due to the effects of climate change, conditions tend to be increasingly extreme, with water availability being one of the main limiting factors in potato production. The objective of this study was to analyze the differential response of physiological and yield components in six potato varieties under water deficit conditions. For this purpose, a...

Maize (Zea mays L.) is one of the major crops of the world for feed, food, and industrial uses. It was originated in Central America and introduced into Europe and other continents after Columbus trips at the end of the 15th century. Due to the large adaptability of maize, farmers have originated a wide variability of genetic resources with wide di...

The Oomycete Phytophthora infestans is the main potato pathogen that causes great losses in the production of the tuber, constituting a threat to food security. Recently in Europe, new and more aggressive races have been described, linked to a A2 breeding sort, that appears being more complicated than the initial A1 breeding sort and may be expelli...

The oomycete Phytophthora infestans is responsible for the disease known as late blight in potato and tomato. It is the plant pathogen that has caused the greatest impact on humankind so far and, despite all the studies that have been made, it remains the most important in this crop. In Spain during the last years a greater severity of the disease...

Maize (Zea mays L.) is one of the major crops of the world for feed, food, and industrial uses. It was originated in Central America and introduced into Europe and other continents after Columbus trips at the end of the 15th century. Due to the large adaptability of maize, farmers have originated a wide variability of genetic resources with wide di...

Acrylamide is an amide-type organic compound formed by the reaction of asparagine with reducing sugars (Maillard reaction) and is classified as a probable human carcinogen (Group 2A) by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Potato chips are one of the foods that contribute most to dietary acrylamide intake, and despite a significant redu...

El Oomycete Phytophthora infestans (Mont.) de Bary, especie de distribución mundial, es una amenaza para la seguridad alimentaria mundial. En los últimos años en España se ha detectado una mayor agresividad de esta enfermedad debido a las variaciones genéticas del patógeno, y causando importantes pérdidas en la producción de patata y tomate. El obj...

El Oomycete Phytophthora infestans (Mont) de Bary, causante del mildiu de la patata ha sufrido a lo largo de su historia diferentes etapas, que han afectado a su comportamiento y agresividad. La aparición en Europa en la década de los 70 del tipo sexual A2, acabó con 130 años de estabilidad genética del patógeno. La recombinación genética favoreció...

The characterisation of Phytophthora infestans isolates is a key step in both monitoring population changes and designing control strategies. A collection of 57 isolates (33 from 2003 to 2005 and 24 from 2011 to 2014) of the Spanish population of P. infestans from different potato fields was characterised in this study. Mating types A1 and A2 have...

Plants growing in natural habitats are exposed to multiple environmental stresses resulting from abiotic factors such as heat, drought, and cold, which have a significant impact on cultivated potato. We have evaluated in two Solanum tuberosum varieties, Soprano and Kondor, the adaptation to different abiotic stresses as heat, cold, and drought. For...

In an attempt to develop an alternative strategy, it is interesting to assess the best method of fungicide application, the position of the leaflets treated and the effect of a reduced dose on the infection level. Two fungicides, Ridomil Gold ® and Copper Nordox ® were evaluated to control mildew infection caused by Phytophthora infestans on potato...

A total of four traits related to bioactive potential of the tetraploid potato were studied in a North Carolina II cross-experiment. The objectives of this study were to estimate genetic parameters for target bioactive compounds in a tetraploid potato population, to determine phenotypic and genotypic correlations and to calculate combining ability...

The project SPIRIT was conducted in Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya from 2012 to 2016 with the aim of increasing the contribution of agricultural science, technology and innovation to social development in East Africa. The project involved literature research, on-site visits and meetings with farmers, research institutions and stakeholders, info...

Germplasm collections often include open-pollinated varieties from diverse latitudes and climatic areas that cannot be correctly conserved in a single environment. The objective of this research was to investigate if open-pollinated maize varieties from diverse latitudinal and climatic conditions could be conserved in a single location. Twelve vari...

Intensely pigmented potato tubers are desired for the speciality potato market because of the health-promoting effects of pigments and other related compounds. Although highly coloured potatoes show higher concentrations of carotenoids and anthocyanins and higher antioxidant capacity, the phytochemical composition is highly dependent on environment...

Tuber yield (TY), starch content (TSC), and starch yield (TSY) are complex characters of high importance for the potato crop in general and for industrial starch production in particular. DNA markers associated with superior alleles of genes that control the natural variation of TY, TSC, and TSY could increase precision and speed of breeding new cu...

Color is considered as an important quality trait of food products. The blue, purple or red colors of several fruits and vegetables are due to the presence of anthocyanins. Scientific evidence suggests that these pigments are health-promoting compounds and there is some research focused on the development of anthocyanin-based natural colorants. How...

Background Breeding for cold tolerance in maize promises to allow increasing growth area and production in temperate zones. The objective of this research was to conduct genome-wide association analyses (GWAS) in temperate maize inbred lines and to find strategies for pyramiding genes for cold tolerance. Two panels of 306 dent and 292 European flin...

Potatoes are the most widely cultivated tubers and also a valuable source of nutrients and non-nutrient health-promoting compounds. Cultivars with pigmented skin and flesh are of especial interest due to the presence of high concentrations of carotenoids, anthocyanins, flavonoids and phenolic acids. Several investigations have focused on the charac...

Key message: SNPs in candidate genes Pain - 1, InvCD141 (invertases), SSIV (starch synthase), StCDF1 (transcription factor), LapN (leucine aminopeptidase), and cytoplasm type are associated with potato tuber yield, starch content and/or starch yield. Tuber yield (TY), starch content (TSC), and starch yield (TSY) are complex characters of high impo...

Purple- and red-fleshed potato cultivars constitute a great source of phenolic compounds, which may promote human health. Since the characterization of potato germplasm is a key step during the breeding process, the classification of high anthocyanin-producing tetraploid genotypes may facilitate the incorporation of phenolic-related traits in a pot...

Certain potato cultivars such as native potato species (NPS) from the Andes are known to have resistances to different pests and diseases. Some accessions are also interesting from a nutritional and culinary perspective. A collection of 35 NPS and 11 old Spanish accessions were analysed for Streptomyces scabies, Rhizoctonia solani and Globodera ros...

Maize is traditionally used for bakery in several countries, and autochthonous varieties are increasingly demanded particularly for organic agriculture, but one of the dangers of cereal consumption is mycotoxin contamination. Mycotoxins are dangerous for health and might be present in any grain depending on genotypes and environments. In the presen...

BACKGROUND Over the last two decades, the attractive colours and shapes of pigmented tubers and the increasing concern about the relationship between nutrition and health are contributing to the expansion of their consumption and specialty market. Thus, we have quantified the concentration of health promoting compounds such as soluble phenolics, mo...

In the Canary Islands, a number of old Andean potato introductions have been maintained by farmers and are cultivated there since the sixteenth century. Genetic resistance is an inexpensive way to control the main pests and diseases of potato and avoids the use of phytochemicals or other costly protective measures. In this study, we have analysed e...

Breeding maize (Zea mays L.) for traditional agriculture can increase quality and added value of agricultural products and allow the recovery of traditional foods. The objectives of this work were to evaluate improved open-pollinated populations under organic and conventional agriculture in order to determine the effects of selection for yield and...

Maize (Zea mays L.) for northern growing areas requires cold tolerance for extending the vegetative period. Our objectives were to evaluate two large panels of maize inbred lines adapted to Europe for cold tolerance and to estimate the effects of cold-related traits on biomass production. Two inbred panels were evaluated for cold tolerance per se a...

The detain nation of the composition of potatoes is essential in order to meet the current demand for quality products. The traditional methods to measure potato components are both expensive and laborious; therefore, some authors have studied the application of faster and cheaper techniques such as near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to determine th...

We have evaluated and compared different methods and cultivars for the production of quality prebasic seed in potato. Two cultivation systems, aeroponics and greenhouse beds with a peat moss substrate, and three potato cultivars with different vegetative cycle, Agria, Monalisa and Zorba, were assayed. Plants in the aeroponic system showed increased...

DNA markers have a large potential to improve efficiency and precision of conventional plant breeding programmes based on marker-assisted selection (MAS). In our study, we have evaluated the predictive abilities of the SCAR marker RYSC3 and the CAPS marker GP122564 with regard to the PVY resistance genes Ryadg and Rysto, respectively, and of marker...

Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) is currently the most sensitive method used for quantitative gene expression studies. However, minimal variation in the amount of material and presence of inhibitors affecting enzyme efficiency can lead to significant quantification errors. Accurate data normalization is vital using referen...

A consortium of seven members from six countries has evaluated different properties of a collection of Native Potatoes. The evaluations include resistances to different pest and diseases, nutritional quality and noxious substances, agronomic performance, aptitude for processing and culinary properties. Favourable characteristics were found for all...

In the present study, the potato cultivar 'Desirée' was transformed via Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain LBA4404 containing the plasmid pBIN19 which harbors the Ribosome Inactivating Protein (rip30). The potato leaf discs were used as an explant for transformation. The in vitro regeneration parameters (percentage of callus regenerated, number of sh...

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is susceptible to many fungal pathogens including Rhizoctonia solani. In the present study, the potato cultivar Desiree was transformed via Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain GV3101 containing the binary plasmid pGJ132 harboring both the chitinase (chiA) and rip30 genes. The potato leaf disc was used as an explant for tr...

Microsatellite markers (SSR) were used to fingerprint a total of 105 local potato cultivars from Spain. A set of 41 cultivars from Tenerife Island, 19 from the island of La Palma, and 45 local varieties from peninsular Spain were analysed. Some of these varieties represent relicts of the early introductions originating from South America and have b...

We have analyzed resistance to Phytophthora infestans in five progenies derived from crosses between wild tuber-bearing potatoes (Solanum okadae, Solanum canacense, Solanum bukasovii, Solanum jamessii and Solanum raphanifolium) and cultivated diploid potato species (Solanum phureja, Solanum goniocalyx and a dihaploid of Solanum tuberosum). Differen...

Early-maturing flint maize germplasm could be an important alternative for the development of new early-maturing commercial hybrids adapted to cooler summer regions. Our objective was to evaluate the performance of flint populations in crosses with four testers from different heterotic groups, as sources of new potential inbred lines. Ten flint mai...

RESUMEN Un consorcio de siete socios de seis países iberoamericanos ha evaluado diferentes propiedades de una colección de Papas Nativas. Las evaluaciones incluyen resistencias a diferentes plagas y enfermedades, cualidades nutricionales y sustancias perjudiciales, comportamiento agronómico, análisis de la aptitud para el procesado y calidad organo...

All published QTLs and genes for Phytophthora resistance were projected onto the bins of a high-density reference map of potato. Further, a transcriptome map containing around 700 cDNA-AFLP (TDF) markers was anchored to this map. We have analysed cDNA markers which are co-located with these resistance QTLs by cloning, sequencing and by performing h...

Native potato species (NPS) are cultivated potatoes which do not belong to S. tuberosum ssp. tuberosum. They are maintained by the farmers of the Andes for subsistence under harsh environmental conditions where other potatoes cannot compete. Within the huge phenotypic variability between and within these species certain accessions possess resistanc...

The adaptation of sweetcorn (Zea mays L.) to Spanish growing conditions needs to be improved, something that could be achieved by incorporating traits from field corn populations. The aim of the present study was to analyse the performance of sweetcorn populations carrying the genes sugary1 (su1) or shrunken2 (sh2), as well as sugary enhancer doubl...

The cDNA-AFLP technique can be used to monitor differential gene expression, but also for linkage mapping. Extending previous works, we have now constructed an integrated linkage map of the potato transcriptome based on the said technique that has a length of around 800 cM and contains nearly 700 transcriptome derived fragments (TDFs). At the same...

Eight cycles of divergent mass selection for flowering time were performed in the synthetic maize (Zea mays L.) population Lazcano (EZS9) from Guipuzcoa, Spain. A trial with a randomised block design plus three replicates was then performed at two locations in northeastern Spain, and over two years, to compare flowering time in the original populat...

In order to evaluate low temperature tolerance of five variable somaclones as well as the cv. Peter Pears of gladiolus (Gladiolus grandiflorus Hort.) from which they were originated, catalase (CAT) activity and hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2) level were measured. Before carrying out the analyses, vitroplants of these clones were exposed, during 21 days...

Nineteen microsatellite markers were used to fingerprint a set of 19 potato landraces from the island of La Palma (Canary Islands). These landraces represent relicts of early introductions from South America, although most are commonly cultivated by local farmers. The SSR primers detected 62 polymorphisms, 13 of which were present in all landraces....

Available online at www.inia.es/sjar European flint × U.S. dent is a common heterotic pattern used in early maize (Zea mays L..) breeding programs in Europe. Two maize synthetic populations, EZS1 (formed from four Spanish flint populations), and EZS2 (formed from four American dent populations), were developed at Zaragoza, Spain. The synthetics sho...

Shoot apices from six diploid potato genotypes for polyploidisation were treated with oryzalin and colchicine solutions at different concentrations and incubation times. In addition to chimeric plants, diploids, one octoploid and completely ploidy doubled plants (4x) were regenerated in these experiments. Tetraploid plants were obtained for three o...

We have used 19 SSR markers to fingerprint 41 local potato cultivars from 10 locations of Tenerife Island. These varieties represent relicts of the early introductions originating from South America and have been characterised previously morphologically and ecophysiologically. The SSR primers generated a varying degree of polymorphisms. A total of...

Dry bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is the most im-portant legume crop in Spain. In 2004 around 137,000 tones were produced in an extension of 103,000 ha (MAPA, 2004), with the majority of this production concentrated in the county of Castilla y León, where the crop is cultivated extensively. However, in the rest of the temperate areas of the country,...

Principal activities of the NEIKER-Basque Institute of Agricultural Research contributing to potato research in Spain are described from its origin in 1933 to 2004. In the first period, the genetic crosses begun and the first Spanish variety called “Eminencia” was obtained. From the 1950s (second period) the Station was divided into four sections:...

A partial diallel set of crosses was made between 14 potato cultivars chosen for their fertility, from those included in a potato breeding programme at the NEIKER – Basque Institute for Agricultural Research. The progeny were grown in completely randomized trials from 1997 to 1999. Performance for yield, tuber number and average tuber weight was an...

The shoot-tips of plants of 10 potato cultivars maintained by micropropagation were frozen (ultra rapid freezing) and cryopreserved in liquid nitrogen for three months. The survival rate of the thawed specimens exceeded 50%, and even reached 100% in the case of the cultivar Fénix. The average regeneration rate was between 2.5% and 22.0%, depending...

One hundred landraces of maize from Northern Spain werecharacterized on the basis of twenty-two morphological traits,and seventeen ecological variables (climatic, edaphic andtopographic) associated with the collection site. Highbroad-sense heritabilities ( > 0.6) were foundfor plant height, ear height, ear node number, ear length,mid-ear diameter,...

Somatic fusions between an accession of the diploid wild speciesSolanum verrucosum and a dihaploid S.tuberosum genotype were produced in order to incorporate resistance to potato leafroll virus (PLRV). In total 15 somatic hybrids out of 16 regenerants were obtained. Identification of hybrids was based on additive RAPD patterns, general morphologica...

Twelve maize landraces were grown in a total of twelve environments in the North of Spain. Genotype-environment interaction (G X E) for grain yield was studied with the Additive Main Effects and Multiplicative Interaction (AMMI) model. The combined analysis of variance for yield showed that the environment, genotype, and G x E interaction terms wer...

Summary Resistance screenings againstPhytophthora infestans, Globodera pallida Pa2/3 and the viruses PVYN, PLRV, PVM and PVS were performed in 98 accessions belonging to 90Solanum wild species. Seventy accessions showed resistance or partial resistance to one or several of these pathogens. Among themS. brachistotrichum exhibited combined resistance...

The presence of both bean common mosaic (BCMV) and bean common mosaic necrosis (BCMNV) potyvi-ruses in the Basque Country was confirmed by ELISA and biological indexing. Most of the mosaic and systemic necrosis symptoms observed in bean plants in the field could be attributed to these two viruses. Disease incidence depended on the bean cultivar: cv...

One hundred local populations of maize from four different agroecological zones in Guipuzcoa, in Northern Spain were characterized according to Papadaki's classification. Their morphological characteristics were also studied and related with the type of soil of the areas of origin 81% of the populations belonged to areas with Continental Mild Hot a...

A description of 100 maize populations from Guipuzcoa, in the North of Spain, is reported. These populations are at present preserved in the Germplasm Bank of the Estacion Experimental de Aula Dei of Zaragoza (Spain). An experimental design of complete randomized blocks with three replications in two environments was used. Eighteen plant, ear and k...

European flint ¥ U.S. dent is the most common heterotic pattern used in early maize (Zea mays L.) breeding programs in Spain. Two synthetic maize populations, EZS1 (formed from four Spanish flint populations), and EZS2 (formed from four American dent populations), were developed in Zaragoza, Spain. These synthetics, which showed heterotic behaviour...

The adaptation of sweetcorn (Zea mays L.) to Spanish growing conditions needs to be improved, something that could be achieved by incorporating traits from field corn populations. The aim of the present study was to analyse the performance of sweetcorn populations carrying the genes sugary1 (su1) or shrunken2 (sh2), as well as sugary enhancer doubl...

Con la publicación de esta monografía se pretende contribuir al conocimiento general del maíz como especie cultivada, y particularmente de las variedades tradicionales de nuestros agricultores. El estudio que hemos realizado durante varios años muestra la gran variabilidad genética existente en el conjunto de las variedades locales guipuzcoanas de...

RESUM:La classificació de les plantes conreades no ha progressat tan ràpidament com la de les espècies vegetals espontànies, sent la principal raó d'aquesta diferència, l'existent al seu torn, en el tipus de variació que es troba en les dos categories de plantes. En la naturalesa la variació és generalment discontínua, mentre que en les espècies co...