Breeding of potato
Project overview
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Short summary
Swedish potato breeding began in 1903 at a semi-governmental institute and has been conducted since 2006 at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU).
Within the breeding program, around 35 cross families (unique cross combinations) are produced annually to obtain around 10,000 seedlings in the first selection cycle. This is based on tuber traits (skin finish and color, plus tuber size and uniformity of shape). Tuber quality traits and resistance to the oomycete Phytophthora infestans (causing leaf mold and brown rot) are more important in later selection cycles. Tuber quality traits include cooking and frying quality, flesh color, and specific gravity (as a proxy for dry matter). To ensure virus-free seed, all genotypes are grown after the second selection cycle in Umeå, where the growing season is short, and the incidence of virus-spreading insects is low.
The work is carried out by a 1 full-time (1 FTE) practical breeder and a professor (0.1 FTE).
