Editing Ploidy (section)

==Glossary of ploidy numbers==
{| class="wikitable"
 ! style="text-align:left" | Term !! style="text-align:left" |Description
 |-
 |'''Ploidy number''' || Number of chromosome sets
 |-
 |'''Monoploid number''' (''x'') || Number of chromosomes found in a single complete set
 |-
 |'''Chromosome number''' || Total number of chromosomes in all sets combined
 |-
 |'''Zygotic number''' || Number of chromosomes in zygotic cells
 |-
 |'''Haploid or gametic number''' (''n'') || Number of chromosomes found in gametes
 |-
 |'''Diploid number''' || Chromosome number of a diploid organism
 |-
 |'''Tetraploid number''' || Chromosome number of a tetraploid organism
 |}

The common [[potato]] (''Solanum tuberosum'') is an example of a tetraploid organism, carrying four sets of chromosomes. During sexual reproduction, each potato plant inherits two sets of 12 chromosomes from the pollen parent, and two sets of 12 chromosomes from the ovule parent. The four sets combined provide a full complement of 48 chromosomes. The haploid number (half of 48) is 24. The monoploid number equals the total chromosome number divided by the ploidy level of the somatic cells: 48 chromosomes in total divided by a ploidy level of 4 equals a monoploid number of 12. Hence, the monoploid number (12) and haploid number (24) are distinct in this example.{{cn|date=June 2024}}

However, commercial potato crops (as well as many other crop plants) are commonly propagated [[Vegetative reproduction|vegetatively]] (by asexual reproduction through mitosis),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.inspection.gc.ca/plants/plants-with-novel-traits/applicants/directive-94-08/biology-documents/solanum-tuberosum-l-/eng/1330982063974/1330982145930#a41 |title=The Biology of Solanum tuberosum (L.) (Potatoes) |publisher=Canadian Food Inspection Agency|date=2012-03-05 }}</ref> in which case new individuals are produced from a single parent, without the involvement of gametes and fertilization, and all the offspring are genetically identical to each other and to the parent, including in chromosome number. The parents of these vegetative clones may still be capable of producing haploid gametes in preparation for sexual reproduction, but these gametes are not used to create the vegetative offspring by this route.