The use of dihaploids in increasing the homozygosity of tetraploid potatoes

Summary Electrophoresis banding patterns of the tuber proteins of 12 dihaploids of the cultivar Pentland Crown showed that four had types of patatin unlike that of the parent. The patatin types of somatically chromosome-doubled clones derived from three of the dihaploids were identical to those of the dihaploid progenitors. Fourteen dihaploids produced from the chromosome-doubled derivative (PDH40X2) of one dihaploid, which had a variant patatin, had the patatin type of the parent dihaploid.The experiment showed that dihaploids and somatic chromosome doubling could be used to fix variation found in heterozygous tetraploid potatoes. Used together, haploidisation and chromosome doubling can generate highly homozygous tetraploids for use by plant breeders.