The use of univariate cross prediction methods in the breeding of a clonally reproduced crop (Solanum tuberosum)

Abstract

The progenies from eight potato crosses were examined. A number of genotypes from each cross were visually assessed, by four breeders, after they had been grown from true-seed in a glasshouse and from seed-tubers in the field, at two locations, in three consecutive years. It was found that the mean and square root of the variance (σ) obtained from the data collected in any of the environments provided a good prediction of the number of clones in each cross that would exceed (or equal) a given target value, σ added increasingly to the accuracy of the prediction as the target value increased, but was not a major component in such predictions. When the predictions were used to provide a ranking of the crosses, the rank correlations showed good agreement between the diiferent environments and between observed and expected ranks. © 1986 The Genetical Society of Great Britain.