Genetic and Molecular Approaches for Management of Potato Viral Diseases and Their Vectors

The infected tuber seeds are the major source of infection of viral diseases; besides, insect vectors like aphids, whiteflies and thrips play an important role in the transmission of diseases. Potato is vulnerable to viruses during growing and when stored. To control viruses and their vectors, many conventional strategies like the use of infection-free tubers, meristem culture, heat therapy, insecticides, botanicals and oils to control the vectors and host resistance have been used. The molecular approaches employed to confer the resistance against the viral diseases are RNA silencing, cross-protection, transgenic plants, gene pyramiding, protein-protein interaction and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) and CRISPR-associated (Cas-mediated) genome editing. The molecular approach offers better understanding of host-virus interactions and thus management of the viral diseases. Aphid vectors of PVY may increase and will be an important risk in the spread of this virus. New biotechnological tools like CRISPER and SIGS offer a means for rapid engineering of resistance in potato cultivars/hybrids.