Seed set in 4x x 2x crosses as related to 2n pollen frequency

Seeds per fruit following 4x × 2x crosses in potato are roughly related to the frequency of 2n pollen. Our goal was to examine precisely the relationship between frequency of stainable 2n pollen and seeds per fruit (s/f) in 4x × 2x crosses. A 4x cultivar with high female fertility and 21 2n pollen producing 2x hybrids were used as seed and pollen parents, respectively. 2n pollen frequencies varied from 1 to 99% in the 2x hybrids and seed set ranged from 0 to 305 s/f in 4x×2x crosses. Mean seeds per fruit increased in response to increases from 1 to 50% 2n pollen, but did not increase in response to using a pollen sample with a 2n pollen frequency over 60%. Seed set averaged 11 s/f corresponding to pollen samples with 1–5% 2n pollen, 50 s/f at 10–20%, 125 s/f at 20–30%, and over 170 s/f at 2n pollen frequencies over 60%. Seed set in 210 control 4x × 4x crosses indicated that equivalent seed set occurs in 4x × 2x crosses when 2n pollen frequencies are over 20–30%. The 2x hybrids differed in mean and variation of 2n pollen frequencies and seed set in 4x × 2x crosses. One 2x hybrid with a meiotic aberration (sy-3) resulting in all univalents at Metaphase I (ordinarily leading to male sterility) and parallel spindles (ps) at Anaphase II had close to 100% 2n pollen (of the stainable pollen) and gave equivalent s/f in 4x × 2x crosses to s/f in 4x × 4x crosses. It is apparent that ample seed set occurs for using the 4x × 2x breeding scheme with 2n pollen frequencies over 10% and that even very low 2n pollen frequencies (1–10%) provide seed for the 4x×2x breeding approach.