The origin and evolution of sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas Lam.) and its wild relatives through the cytogenetic approaches

The distribution and organization of 5S and 18S–5.8S–26S (18S) rDNA were studied in 10 varieties of hexaploid Ipomoea batatas, five accessions of tetraploid Ipomeoa trifida, and six related species (five diploids, I. trifida, I. triloba, I. tiliacea, I. leucantha and I. setosa and one tetraploid, I. tabascana), by using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). The FISH data obtained indicated that polyploidization was followed by decrease in the number of 18S rDNA loci in higher ploidy level and provided evidence for major genomic rearrangements and/or diploidization in polyploid I. batatas. Among the five diploid species examined, I. trifida appeared to be the most closely related to I. batatas. By contrast, I. leucantha was closed to I. tiliacea, but both species were distant from sweet potato. I. triloba and I. setosa were distantly related to the rest of Ipomoea batatas complex. The close relationship between I. trifida and I. batatas was also demonstrated by the presence of one 18S and CMA marker in these two chromosome complements only. Based on chromosome morphology, tetraploid I. trifida appeared to be more closely related to sweet potato than I. tabascana. Taking all data obtained in this study, I. trifida might be the progenitor of I. batatas, and I. tabascana, interspecific hybrid between these two species.