Prevalence of RNA viruses in certified, and informal potato seed tubers in the province of Antioquia (Colombia)

Abstract The productivity of potato in Colombia is far from its full potential mainly due to the high prevalence of viruses in seed-tubers. To gain a deeper insight into the health status of S. tuberosum and S. phureja seed-tubers used by farmers in the province of Antioquia (Colombia), we have investigated the prevalence of PVY, PVV, PVS, PVX, PRLV, PYVV, PMTV and PVB in certified and uncertified seed lots. The presence of viruses was determined by RT-qPCR, RT-PCR, Sanger and High-Throughput Sequencing (HTS). The eight viruses were detected in at least one lot sample of S. tuberosum or S. phureja and for most of the viruses, no significant differences in prevalence were observed between certified and uncertified seed-tuber lots; however, the number of co-infecting viruses and viral loads seem to be lower in the certified seeds. These results confirm the urgent need to improve current seed-tuber production standards in Colombia.