PROGENY SELECTION FOR AGRONOMIC CHARACTERS IN EARLY GENERATIONS OF A POTATO BREEDING PROGRAM

Repeatabilities of progeny means, and the univariate cross prediction method were used to study the effectiveness of progeny selection for a gronomically important characters in early generations of potato (Sola num tuberosum L.) breeding. The study was based on 90 progenies (72 cr osses + 18 selfs) evaluated for three successive generations, i.e. see dling, first clonal and second clonal generations. Repeatabilities of progeny means were measured as correlation coefficients between genera tions. In the univariate cross prediction method, progeny means and wi thin-progeny standard deviations were used to calculate the proportion s of clones exceeding the target values, and correlation coefficients between generations for predicted and observed proportions of clones, were calculated. Population means varied from generation to generation . Correlation coefficients between generations for progeny means for m ost of the characters were significant, but moderate. These were highe r than the correlation coefficients between predicted and observed pro portions of clones exceeding the target values. The possibility of usi ng progeny means as a selection parameter to reduce the number of geno types to be examined in later stages by rejecting the poor crosses in seedling generation is discussed.