A new method for potato breeding: the "Fixation-Restitution" approach

The project aims to develop a new potato breeding system, called “Fixation-Restitution Breeding”, that allows 1) for a predictable accumulation and subsequent fixation of resistance and quality traits at the diploid level via selfing and, 2) to shuttle those traits to the tetraploid level via the production of 2n first-division restitution pollen, thus restoring complex heterozygous allele interactions essential for heterosis. To reach this goal, the inheritance of self-compatibility and 2n first-division restitution pollen production in diploid potato will be investigated and predictive DNA marker assays will be delivered.