Uniformity among virus-free clones of ten potato cultivars

Heat therapy and meristem tip propagation were used to develop two or three virus-free clones of 10 cultivars from the following sources: Epicure from British Columbia and Scotland; Katahdin, Kennebec, Keswick, Red Pontiac and Sebago from British Columbia and New Brunswick; Norchip from Alberta, Quebec and Washington; Norland from Alberta, British Columbia and North Dakota; Red La Soda from British Columbia, Nebraska and North Dakota; and White Rose from British Columbia and North Dakota. Tests prior to treatment showed that all but one of the stocks were infected with potato virus X and/or potato virus S but in only five of the ten cultivars were all clones infected with the same virus or viruses. Field trials with the virus-free clones, which extended over four years, showed that one of the Norchip clones produced fewer tubers per plant than two other clones in three years of the four years, but no consistent differences in yield or specific gravity of tubers were found among the clones of any of the 10 cultivars.