ABSTRACT
Hybrid potato breeding for improved varieties Pim Lindhout, Michiel de Vries, Menno ter Maat, Su Ying, Marcela Viquez-Zamora and Sjaak van Heusden, Solynta, The Netherlands
1 Introduction
2 The scientific basis for hybrid potato breeding
3 The state of the art of hybrid potato breeding
4 Production and commercialization of hybrid seed cultivars
5 Inbred lines for genetic research
6 Cropping systems based on true seeds
7 Case studies
8 Conclusion
9 Where to look for further information
10 Acknowledgements
11 References
The cultivated potato, Solanum tuberosum, can be reproduced generatively through seeds and vegetatively through tubers. This may have evolutionary advantages: seeds may provide better survival under extreme conditions, such as frost or drought, and can remain viable in the soil for years. When conditions are mild, tubers survive in a dormant state for a couple of months. When conditions become favourable again, their fast and strong sprouting provides a clear competitive advantage over other plants in the same ecological niche.
