Experimental Optimization Strategies and Increasing Accuracy in the Selection of Potato Genotypes in the Early Stages of a Breeding Program

• Grant number: 24/18757-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: June 01, 2025
• End date: February 28, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics - Quantitative Genetics
• Principal Investigator: Fernando Angelo Piotto
• Grantee: Matheus Martins de Sousa
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Plant breeding is a technique that aims to increase the frequency of traits of interest by introducing new genotypes. To achieve success, it is crucial to properly adjust several parameters that may influence the selection gain. A determining factor for selection accuracy is plot size, which is naturally limited in the early clonal generations of a potato breeding program. In light of this, the present work aims to study the effect of plot size on selection carried out in early clonal generations of a potato breeding pipeline and to propose methodologies that promote greater assertiveness in the selection of genotypes based on traits of interest in the program. The study is being conducted in the field, in the municipality of Piracicaba - SP, in an augmented block design, involving 35 families and commercial cultivars as checks. Each family was randomly selected in the first clonal generation, with plots containing between one and seven plants being marked, harvested, and evaluated. Data from two clonal generations will be used to determine the impact of the limited plot size in the first generation of a potato breeding program, as well as to assist in adjusting a more appropriate model for the program's pipeline. Field evaluation data from two generations were obtained, along with drone images from the second clonal generation. These data will be used to carry out statistical analyses and adjust prediction models.