Family selection is a method which allows a greater efficiency in breeding programs, since the lower performance families are discarded and focuses are thrown on those most promising families. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of family selection for traits of tuber appearance and tuber yield under warm and mild temperatures. In this study families were generated by biparental crosses between heat tolerant clones and commercial cultivars with and good tuber appearance. Traits of tuber appearance, tuber yield and tuber specific gravity were evaluated in the seedling, first and second clonal generations. Regarding the traits of tuber appearance some families presented higher frequency of superior clones in the seedling generation. In the first and second generations heat tolerant families were identified which showed positive responsiveness to mild temperatures for tuber yield and tuber specific gravity. It was concluded that family selection for tuber yield and tuber specific gravity was efficient, but family selection for all traits related to tuber appearance was less effective.
Solanum tuberosum L.; abiotic stress; clonal families
