Evaluation of Quantitative and Qualitative Traits and Stability of Commercial Cultivars and Promising Clones of Potato

To evaluate the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of eight promising clones and three commercial cultivars of potato, an experiment was conducted based on a randomized complete blocks design (RCBD) with four replications in five regions (Karaj, Ardabil, Mashhad, Esfahan and Hamedan) during 2013-14. In this study, traits of average tuber weight, number and weight of tuber per plant, tuber yield, plant height, number of main stem per plant, tuber shape, eye depth, color of tuber skin and flesh, growth period, tuber hollow heart and tuber inner ring were measured. Results of combined analysis of variance showed that the effects of region, region × year, genotype, region × genotype and region × year × genotype on tuber yield were significant. Results of bi-plot analysis showed that clones 5 (397031-16), 11 (397045-13) and 9 (397009-8) had higher tuber yield and stability. These clones had cream, light yellow and cream tuber flesh, yellow, yellow and yellow tuber skin, round oval, round oval and round tuber shape and shallow, medium and medium eye depth, respectively, and the tuber hollow heart and inner ring were very little in them. The clones 11 and 5 had a high tuber dry matter (22.99 and 22.27, respectively). Overall, based on tuber yield stability and quantitative and qualitative characteristics, the clones 5, 9 and 11 were selected.