Early generation selection methods used in Polish potato breeding

Polish potato breeding involves two stages: development of parental lines and their use in the development of new cultivars. In the breeding of new cultivars, early generation selection is based mainly on visual discrimination of superior genotypes. Careful evaluation of clones is done in later generations. In parental line breeding the whole selection procedure is completed in early generations. Experience gained in early generation selection for virus resistance, yield, and dry matter content has been summarized. Evidence has also been presented that evaluation of individual tubers makes possible an inexpensive selection of numerous genotypes for several important characters.