Breeding of Potato , Helpful for M.Sc (Ag) VEGETABLE STUDENTS,ICAR 5th dean Syllabus

1. Breeding of Potato
By
Dr. Bineeta Devi
Assistant Professor
Genetics & Plant Breeding

2. Name of Crop : POTATO
Botanical name: Solanum tuberosum
Family: Solanaceae
Chromosome number: 2n=4x=48 (Tetraploid)
Introduction: Potato was introduced in
India from Europe in early 17th century

3. Origin:
Genetic testing of the wide variety of
cultivars and wild species proved a single
origin for potatoes in the area of present-day
southern Peru and extreme northwestern
Bolivia (from a species in the
Solanumbrevicaule complex), where they
were domesticated 7,000–10,000 years ago.

4. Botany of Potato
Growth habit-The potato is an annual herbaceous,
dicotyledonous plant. It is a vegetative propagated
crop, But still propagated through true potato seed is
common for breeding purpose commercial
exploitation of TPS.

5. Root - The root system of potato plant is
adventitious, arising from the base of a sprout.
Each sprout has its own independent root system.
The root zone spreads to 20-25 cm of the top
layer of the soil. The lateral root system may
spread up to 90 cm in rich soil.

6. Stems- The stem of potato plant is branching type
and the branches arise laterally along the whole
length of stem.
Stolons- Potato stolons are lateral stems, which
grow horizontally below the ground from the
buds of the underground stem. The stolon length
is an important varietal character. Long stolons
are not desirable and are common in wild species.

7. Tuber-The potato tuber is a modified stem and is
a part of underground stem called stolon. On
exposure of sunlight a tuber normally turns
green. The tuber skin also contains small lenticels
to facilitate gaseous exchange during respiration.
Sprouts-The sprouts emerge from the buds in a
tuber. Sprouts have three distinct parts: the base,
the mid-parts and the tip. Sprouts are usually
pigmented at the base.

8. Leaves- Potato leave is normally compound. It is
pinnate with several pairs of leaflets arising in
succession, along the midrib (rachis). Leaflet may
be attached directly on the rachis or by means of
small stalks known as petiolule.
Flower-The potato flower are borne usually on
long inflorescence. The flower stalk, tip, merges
into calyx. Potato flower are bisexual and possess
all the four essential part of flower i.e. calyx,
corolla, androecium (stamens) and gynoecia
(pistil).

9. Potato Leaf
Potato Flower

10. Fruit-After fertilization ovary develops into a
fruit commonly known as berry. Berry has two
chambers and contains 50-200 seeds depending
upon the variety.
Seed-Seeds extracted from the berry are sexual
seed also known as botanical seed or true potato
seed. Seeds are flat –oval and small (1000-1500
seeds/gram) surrounded by a seed coat, which
protects the embryo and endosperm. On
germination the radical gives rise to remedial
roots and plumule to the above ground plant parts

11. Economic importance :
• Potato is 4th major food of the world after rice, wheat and maize.
• India‘s rank 5th in area and production of potato.
• It is important crop for higher population areas of Asia because it produce more
dry matter food.
• Potato contains 2% high value protein.
• It contains 17mg/100g Vitamin-C and 568mg/100g potassium.
• Potato contains 22% carbohydrate.
• Solanin 5mg/100g. potato is unfit for consumption if solanin is grater then
20mg/100g
• It is grown all states except Kerala

12. Cytology:
•Potato has basic chromosome number 12. Form diploid to hexaploid
species are available. About 75% species are diploid while about 15%
species are tetraploids.
•Triploids and pentaploids are highly sterile and maintained by vegetative
propagation.
•S.stenotomum , S.phureja & S.ajanhuioi are cultivated diploids of which
former too are sexually fertile while later one is less fertile and yet bred
true.
•S.chaucha & S.Juzepezukii are cultivated triploid, more or less sterile.
The cultivated tetraploid species S.tuberosum spp tuberosum &S.tuberosum
spp andigena are fertile.
• S.curtilobum is pentaploid.
•Regular meiosis has been observed in diploid, allotetraploid &
allohexaploids.
•Nearly all the diploid species are self-incompatible while all the tetraploids
& hexaploids are self-compatible.

13. Breeding Objective for Potato Crop :
•High tuber yield
•Earliness
•Photoperiod insensitivity
•Responsiveness to fertilizer
•Better keeping quality (resistance/tolerance against shrinkage,rottage
etc)
•Better quality tubers
•Resistance to
i. Late blight
ii. Early blight
iii. Charcoal rot
iv. Common scab
v. Bacterial wilt
vi. Viral diseases
vii. Nematodes and Aphids
viii. Resistance/tolerance to heat, drought, frost, soil salinity.

14. Breeding methods in potato :
1. Introduction
2. Clonal Selection
3. Hybridization
4. Mutation Breeding

15. Breeding methods
BREEDING METHODS VARIETIES
Introduction Upto date (from north Ireland)- Most
popular variety.
Clonal selection Kufri red, Kufri safed
Hybridization Kufri Sinduri (Kufri Red × Kufri Kundan)
Kufri Chandramukhi (Seedling 4485 ×
Kufri Kuber)
Kufri Sheetman (Phulwa × CraigsDefience)
Kufri Badshah (Kufri Jyoti × Kufri
Alankar)
Kufri Jyoti (3069d(4) × 2814a(1)
KufriBahar (KufriRed × Gineke)
Mutation Mariline 2
Konkei No. 45
Desital
Sarme
Jagakids Purple
White Baron and Nahita