Selection for vegetative growth period and its relationship to tuber yield of potato

Potato cultivars in Brazil generally present a growth cycle duration ranging from 90 to 110 days, whereas in countries located in temperate climate it can reach up to 150 clays. Longer vegetative growth cycle in these countries confer higher tuber yield and, in tropical countries it also could be an alternative to increase tuber yield. In this work we evaluated the selection potential for longer or shorter growth cycle duration of potato clones and we determined the relationship between growth cycle duration and tuber yield. In the first clonal generation tuber yield and growth cycle duration were evaluated on 1561 genotypes derived from 22 clonal families. In the second clonal generation, the same traits were evaluated on 320 genotypes selected for earliness, intermediate and late vegetative cycle. Selection in the initial generations was efficient both to decrease and to increase the growth cycle duration. The selection for growth cycle based on individual clones allowed higher gains than the selection among families. The latest genotypes were more productive than the earliest genotypes.