Correlations between insect resistance and horticultural traits in potatoes

The objective of this study was to determine relationships between insect resistance and some horticulturaltraits and the implications on selection. A potato population of 11 clonal families derived from crosses between insect resistantand genotypes adapted to the southern region of Brazil was used. The following traits were evaluated: plant size and vigor,incidence of insect attacks on leaves and tubers, tuber yield and appearance components. Phenotypic and genotypic correlationsbetween leaf and tuber resistance were not significant for the population, while phenotypic correlations between the tworesistance types were significant for individual families, with exception of the family originated from the cross involving ND263-32 . The incidence of insect attacks on tubers was significantly correlated with tuber yield and appearance in familiesderived from crosses of NYL235-4 . The manifold correlations of leaf resistance with horticultural traits for all families weresignificant and unfavorable.