Molecular Pathogens, 2025, Vol.16, No.1, 27-35 http://microbescipublisher.com/index.php/mp 31 is a new technology called dRenSeq that can also be used to detect these resistance genes and help us do more accurately "mark-assisted breeding" (Armstrong et al., 2018). 6.2 Integrating resistance traits into high-yielding cultivars If you want sweet potatoes to be both high in yield and disease-resistant, you have to figure out how to regulate disease-resistant. Studies have found that resistance to stem nematodes is related to metabolic processes such as glycolysis and shikimic acid. These processes allow sweet potatoes to produce more secondary metabolites, such as phenylpropanoids and salicylic acid, which help improve resistance (Qiao et al., 2023). In addition, there is a gene called IbMIPS1. If it expresses more, sweet potatoes will have stronger disease resistance. It can withstand not only pathogens, but also drought, saline and alkaline (Zhai et al., 2016). These findings are very useful for breeding and can help us select good varieties that can not only feed more food but also not easily get sick. 6.3 Advances in genome editing for resistance improvement Now, gene editing technology has also been used in sweet potato disease-resistant breeding. Like CRISPR/Cas9 is a promising approach. Scientists have discovered that some genes called “SWEET” are often “targeted” by pathogens. If we use gene editing technology to tamper with these genes, delete or change them, it is possible to make sweet potatoes more resistant to disease (Gupta et al., 2021). In addition, through transcriptome analysis, we can also find some “key genes” that resist disease, which can be used as editing targets. Accurate editing of these positions may greatly improve the disease resistance of sweet potatoes (Li et al., 2024). 7 Case Studies and Field Applications 7.1 Resistance management in sweet potato leaf curl virus (SPLCV) Sweet potato leaf curl virus (SPLCV) is an important issue affecting sweet potato production. In order to reduce the harm it brings, good anti-disease management methods are needed. Although there are not many studies on SPLCV now, we can get some inspiration from the research of other crops. For example, on potatoes, scientists discovered many disease-resistant genes that will be activated when viral infection are detected through transcriptome analysis. These genes are very effective against potato Y virus. These studies can also provide a reference for the resistance of sweet potatoes to SPLCV (Osmani et al., 2019; Cao et al., 2020). From this we can see that finding and utilizing sweet potato’s own defense gene is a key way to improve its resistance to viruses. 7.2 Successful breeding programs for fungal disease resistance In terms of anti-fungal diseases, sweet potato breeding has achieved good results. For example, through transcriptome analysis, scientists discovered some key genes related to resistance to Fusarium oxysporum.Among them are CERK (a receptor kinase) and MAPK (a gene involved in signaling), which both enhance the resistance of sweet potatoes (Lin et al., 2017). Others have found SNP markers related to Fusarium mycorrhizal rot resistance through genome-wide studies, which is very helpful for the use of marker-assisted selection in breeding (Kim et al., 2023). In addition, if a gene called IbBBX2 is expressed more, it can enhance sweet potato's resistance to blight by regulating the jasmonic acid pathway. There are also studies that overexpression of IbBBX24 can activate the jasmonic acid pathway. In some genetically modified sweet potatoes (such as OE-16), jasmonic acid levels increase early in the infection. This change shows that the accumulation of JA may amplify the defense signal and initiate a stronger anti-disease response (Figure 2) (Zhang et al., 2020). 7.3 Lessons learned from field trials across regions Field experiments conducted in different regions also provide us with a lot of useful information. Studies have shown that natural substances like scopoletin can effectively inhibit Fusarium. This suggests that metabolic engineering may be a way to improve disease resistance of sweet potatoes (Wang et al., 2024). Through transcriptome analysis, scientists found many differentially expressed genes at different stages of infection in sweet potatoes. These genes may play a role in disease resistance and also provide us with new breeding and genetic improvement directions (Li et al., 2023). These trials also remind us that appropriate disease prevention strategies should be formulated based on local pathogen pressure, and cannot be one-size-fits-all.
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