Potato breeding via protoplast fusion

Abstract

Plant cells from which the cell walls have been enzymatically or mechanically removed are called protoplasts. The protoplasts are theoretically totipotent and can be used as sources of somatic cell fusion in practical breeding programs. Wild Solanum species have often been used as sources of important agricultural traits including diverse disease resistance. However, they cannot often be directly applied to breeding programs due to their sexual incompatibility with S. tuberosum. Somatic hybridization via protoplast fusion is one of the ideal methods to overcome this limitation and to introgress certain traits into S. tuberosum. This technique has still widely been used in potato since the first fusion was reported in 1970s. Therefore, this review highlights general perspectives of protoplast fusion and discusses the application of protoplast fusion in potato breeding.