Author(s): S. DATTA, R. DAS, D. SINGH, U. THAPA AND A. R. MANDAL

Abstract: Besides its significance to human food security, potato is also a crop with fascinating genetic traits and cultural history (Swaminathan, 1999). The present- day cultivated potatoes (tetraploid; 2n=4x=48) in most part of the world represent S. tuberosum subsp. tuberosum and S. tuberosum subsp. andigena, although their numerous diploid (2n=2x=24) relatives are still under cultivation in and around its primary and secondary centre of origin in South America. Genetic variability has been considered to be the basis of plant breeding (Simmonds, 1962). So, genetic variability in any crop is the essential prerequisite for initiation of breeding work. Potato being the vegetative propagated crop, clonal selection is the important breeding method and for executing the effective selection programmes association between different characters is a pre-requisite....

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