Induction and application of dihaploids of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.)

Iwona Wasilewicz-Flis

Plant Breeding and Acclimatization Institute, Młochów Research Center, Platanowa 19 str., 05-831 Młochów, Poland (Poland)

Henryka Jakuczun

Plant Breeding and Acclimatization Institute, Młochów Research Center, Platanowa 19 str., 05-831 Młochów, Poland (Poland)

Abstract

The breeding work with common potato as a tetraploid crop is complicated. Reducing the tetraploid chromosome number to the diploid one, makes the research and breeding simpler, because tetrasomic inheritance is replaced with disomic. Dihaploids of S. tuberosum crossable to various diploid Solanum species give also possibility for direct gene transfer from the wild and primitive cultivated Solanum species to the S. tuberosum background. In this way the gene pool of common potato is improved and enriched, but there are also disadvantages connected with using of dihaploids and it is necessary to change the ploidy level back to the tetraploid one in order to produce a cultivar. In spite of that, dihaploids were utilized in several potato breeding programmes conducted in Europe and USA. Dihaploids contributed to many modern potato cultivars, facilitating genetic works.

Keywords:

breeding, dihaploids, genetic research, potato