Inheritance of potato glycoalkaloids

Significant differences in tuber glycoalkaloid (TGA) content were found among parents and among family means in a two year study of 10 tetraploid crosses. TGA contents of the parents ranged from 3.6–36 mg/100 g, with an average content of 10 mg/100 g. Offspring variations within families were generally continuous, indicating polygenic inheritance. Heritability (1-year—1-replicate base) ranged from 86–89% in the broad sense and from 66–84% in the narrow sense. It was concluded that TGA content is highly heritable. The use of parents with high TGA contents in a breeding program is discussed.