Tuber yield and processing traits of potato advanced selections

Abstract

World potato production continuously requires new cultivars to satisfy farmers’ and consumers’ demand. Tuber yield and quality are some of the main potato breeding targets. In this study, 27 advanced potato clones from 7 hybrid families were evaluated for yield, tuber specific gravity and chipping ability. Variability in tuber yield was found between families as well as between clones. Forty-eight percent of clones showed higher productivity compared to the best control (Agria, 1.1 Kg). Families displayed significant differences also in terms of tubers specific gravity, with about 70% of clones with a score higher than 1.080, which was considered the minimum acceptable value for processing. Chipping ability was evaluated at harvesting time and after cold storage with and without reconditioning. The majority of studied clones showed a good chipping ability score (<4.5) at harvest; five samples chipped well after cold storage with reconditioning, while good chippers were not identified after cold storage without reconditioning. The use of an arbitrary index calculated for each clone is proposed to assist the selection of materials with a good trait combination.