Identification of superior parents and crosses in potato breeding programmes

 The effectiveness of parent per se performance and their self values in the selection of superior parents and crosses in potato breeding programmes was studied by evaluating progenies of 72 crosses from 18×4 (female×male) matings, parents and their selfs for ten agronomically important characters for three successive generations. Simple correlation coefficients were computed between parent per se performance versus general combining ability effects, female per se performance versus progeny means of females, female self values versus progeny means of females, mid-parent values versus progeny means of crosses and mid-self values versus progeny means of crosses. The magnitude of the significant correlation coefficients showed that progeny means of crosses could be moderately predicted by the mid-self values for plant vigour and general impression in clonal generations. Similarly, the progeny means of females in clonal generations could be predicted by their per se performance for general impression. Female self values in the second clonal generation were moderately associated with progeny means of females in that generation for general impression and plant vigour. Parent per se performance and mid-parent values were, in general, ineffective in predicting the general combining ability and the progeny means of the crosses, respectively. The poor predictive powers of parent per se performance and mid-parent values are discussed in relation to the relative importance of specific and general combining ability effects. Received: 23 April 1997 / Accepted: 6 August 1997