Selection for resistance to potato leafhopper in potatoes I.selection methods

A randomly mated potato (Solarium tuberosum L.) population (3 generations, without selection) derived from clones from several breeding programs, displayed considerable resistance in the field to potato leafhopper,Empoasca fabae (Harris). Leafhopper population levels on 161 clones ranged from 2 to 28 nymphs per 45-sec count (mean = 12), whereas a susceptible check averaged 20 nymphs per count. Clones selected for low leafhopper counts in 1971 were compared with the population in 1972 to evaluate the effectiveness of selecting from small plots (three-hill) with minimum replication. The selected clones averaged 30% fewer leafhoppers than the population average in 1971 and 10% fewer in 1972. The average heritability (broad sense) for one plot per clone per location, two locations, and two 45-sec nymph counts per plot equaled 36%.