Efficiency of selection in the early clonal generations of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.)

Abstract

Selection in the early clonal generations of potato is routinely performed in breeding programs but its efficiency is poor due to being based on visual preference. This study investigates the feasibility of using plant tuber yield and its components number of tubers per plant and average tuber weight as selection criteria in the first generations. One hundred and eighteen open pollinated clones from cultivars Delta, Serrana, Omega, Mirka, Atlantic, Apuã and Radosa were evaluated in field trials in the seedling (S), and in the first (C-1) and second (C-2) clonal generations. The coefficients of heritability and correlation between generations were low, showing the limited success for selection in the early generations. The strong influence of non-genetic factors in clonal performance, specially if a restricted number of plants per clone is evaluated in a trial without replication, as is usually done in the early clonal generation of potato breeding programs is discussed.