The wild potato species germplasm is important in potato breeding to incorporate plant resilience to factors such as climate change. Based on field data and observations during several germplasm collection missions (1968 to 2018) in 16 countries in North, Central, and South America (around 300 missions), in the International Potato Center (CIP) Genebank were identified wild species with potential for drought tolerance.

The CIP Genebank conserves a wild potato species collection at -20ºC in long term storage. This collection maintains 2337 accessions that represent 140 wild potato species classified within the Solanum genus Petota section Solanaceae family, based on (Hawkes,1990; Spooner et al., 2004 & 2014). This diversity is conserved and distributed as a public good under the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.

The selection of wild species with potential for drought tolerance is supported by 50 years of experience on in situ and ex situ conservation of potato germplasm from an agronomist Alberto Salas. The accessions are from Perú, Bolivia, and Argentina: S. augustii Ochoa; S. boliviense Dunal; S. gracilifrons Bitter; S. infundibuliforme Philippi; S. lignicaule Vargas; S. peloquinianum Ochoa; S. tarapatanum Ochoa, grown in inter Andean valleys habitats common in between mountain chains, distributed between 2700 and 3675 meters of altitude. The temperatures are generally greater than 20ºC and the annual precipitation is lower than 500 mm, but can reach 1200 mm in the highlands