Mutation breeding for resistance to blackspot bruise and low temperature sweetening in the potato cultivar Lemhi Russet

A mutation breeding method was developed to select clones of Lemhi Russet that have resistance to blackspot bruise and low temperature sweetening. Following irradiation with gamma rays from a Cobalt⁶⁰ source, over 2000 tuber eye pieces were planted directly to the field and tubers from the resulting crop were individually evaluated for blackspot bruise potential. Selection for blackspot bruise resistance continued for five clonal cycles. Selection for low temperature sweetening began in the M₃ and continued for three cycles. Ten clones were selected, eight with significantly (p=0.05) better blackspot bruise resistance, and two with increased resistance to low temperature sweetening. The results confirm the possibility for the development of a system to improve single selectable quality characteristics in potatoes.