Polyploid Breeding: A Valuable Tool for Fruit Crop Improvement

Abstract

There are two principal methods of polyploid breeding used to improve fruit crops (7). Certain crop plants can be improved by simply doubling their chromosome number. This method is called autopolyploidy. Grapes are an example of a crop subject 10 improvement by this method. Some autopolyploid grapes of the Portland and Fredonia varieties produce berries almost twice the weight of their corresponding diploids (6). Since autopolyploids are often partially sterile, this method of breeding works best on vegetatively propagated crops where seed Yield is of secondary importance (13).