Development of cultivars with acceptable chip
color is a major but challenging objective of breeding
programs world-wide. Currently clones with suitable chip
color are identified by including breeding populations in
several storage environments over multiple crop seasons.
Chip color involves several factors associated with the
accumulation of reducing sugars including temperature.
The availability of molecular markers associated with the
genes controlling chip color would greatly reduce the time
required to identify clones with this trait in breeding
populations and advance our understanding of this critical
carbohydrate characteristic. Polymorphisms in a sucrose
synthase allele provided an excellent marker associated
with chip color that could assist in selecting for genotypes
with acceptable Agtron score