Somatic hybrids of Solanum tuberosum – application to genetics and breeding

Cultivated potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is one of the first agricultural crops successfully cultured in vitro and used for obtaining of somatic hybrids. The review presents the current state of knowledge of somatic hybridisation involving this and other species from the genus of Solanum. Methods of somatic hybridisation, in particular factors that must be considered during designing the experiments are presented and discussed. The main attention however is focused on processes that are responsible for somatic hybrid formation. Complex interactions between genomes and plasmones lead to formation of symmetric, asymmetric and cytoplasmic recombinants. The concept of alloplasmic incompatibility is presented and discussed in relation to Solanum hybrids. Selected examples of potato somatic hybrids with agronomically important traits derived from wild species are presented in the table and discussed.