Evaluation of the Heritability of Resistance to Phytophthora infestans (Mont) de Bary in a Population of Solanum phureja Juz et Buk

Potato late blight is a common name for the most important and destructive disease caused by Phytophthora infestans (Mont. de Bary) in potato crops. Resistance genes for the disease have been found in Solanum phureja, and are of great importance in implementing important tools such as plant breeding in disease management The aim of this study was to estimate the heritability of resistance to P. infestans in a population of S. phureja. This research was carried out in potato cultivations in two locations in the municipality of La Unión (Antioquia, Colombia). Pathogen severity was evaluated in leaves using a diagrammatic scale. Heritability was measured between families and within families by stratified mass and simple mass selection. There were no statistically significant differences among the heritabilities from the methods of selection; however, significant differences were found between locations. For the first location, heritability estimations were in the range of 0.35 and 0.54, while values obtained in the second location were between 0.05 and 0.08