Use of Physic Mutagens for Potato Breedin

Abstract

Tubers, true seed and adult plants near flowering stage of potatoes, were rather sensitive to radiation since a dosage of 6-10 Krad were enough to become lethal. Tubers directly irradiated were able to get different pigments which were considered as chimaeric non-stable, mutants. If is possible to increase genetic variation after crossing plants obtained from tubers irradiated. Using this approach it was possible to obtain twelve valuable selected clones in a large population, having good and stable agronomic characters. More studies are needed to evaluate the potential of crosses among plants irradiated near flowering stage and the possibilities of breaking self-incompatibility. There are possible some other methods to follow in order to exploit the ionizing radiations (gamma, neutrons) in tetraploid cultivated potatoes.

Additional Index Words: Radiation, lethal, pigments, chimaeric, mutants, self-incompatibility, tetraploid.