Date Received: 16-10-2014 / Date Accepted: 24-12-2014 / Date Published: 06-08-2025
This study presented the results of late blight resistance and agronomical traits of backcross (BC) hybrids between the somatic hybrids and cultivated potato varieties as the pollen donor. The BC1 hybrids were grown and systematically evaluated for late bright resistance using artificial inoculation on seedlings (seedling test), on single detached leaves (detached leaflet assay), and on the tuber slices (tuber slice test). The presence of resistant gene Rpi-blb1 was also verified by molecular markers in the BC1 progeny. The results revealed that four BC1 hybrids of blb2G (+) with Delikat possess high resistance to late blight. Molecular analysis using two specific primers (blb1 and 1/1') of resistant gene Rpi-blb1 detected that the wild type S. bulbocastanum; the 2283/5 somatic hybrids of the blb2G (+) Delikat hybrid combination and the BC1 progenies contained this resistance gene. In addition, the BC1 hybrids also carried several desirable agronomical characteristics of cultivated potatoes. This study confirmed that protoplast fusion was successful in transfering late blight resistance gene from the wild type potato to the somatic hybrids and the resistance was maintained in the BC1 progeny. The BC1 hybrids carried several desirable traits of cultivated potato cv. Delikat.
