Somatic hybridization in the genus Solanum: S. tuberosum and S. brevidens

Somatic hybrid plants were regenerated from fused mesophyll protoplasts of an albino potato (Solanum tuberosum spp. tuberosum) variant and Solanum brevidens, a non-tuber bearing species which is sexually incompatible with S. tuberosum. These somatic hybrid plants represent the first example of direct hybridization between potato and members of the taxonomic group Etuberosa, and offer the potential for introgressing valuable germplasm from Solanum species outside the sexually compatible range into a worldwide crop species.