A b s t r a c tIt is important for improving the efficacy of potato breeding to have parental lines that are multiplex for many genes of agronomic characters, first of all genes of resistance to pests and diseases (that have two or more dominant alleles in the locus) (J.E. Bradshaw et al., 1994). Parental lines that are multiplex for several resistance genes occur not often (A.P. Yermishin et al., 2016) and, owing to biological peculiarities of potato crop, they can be produced only by means of breeding at the diploid level. In the presented review the genetic principles are described and an experience of their use by authors in research devoted to the development of the initial material applicable for effective marker assisted potato parental line breeding at the diploid level. The material includes the collection of initial dihaploids originated from potato varieties which were selected for viability, tuber performance, cultivar characters and DNA-markers of pest and diseases resistance genes; the diploid breeding material having wide range of late blight and virus resistance genes, introgressed from wild potato species by means of original methods of overcoming interspecific reproductive barriers; the diploid lines -donors of self-incompatibility gene and high male fertility genes that are effective as in heterozygous as well as in homozygous condition; the diploid lines -donors of genes of male fertile FDR (first division restitution) 2n-gamete formation. The best diploid lines having a complex of pest and diseases resistance genes, selected as the result of diploid breeding (on the basis of initial dihaploids, interspecific hybrids and donors of fertility) were used for production of multiplex tetraploid parental lines by means of mitotic chromosome doubling. Diploid parental lines suitable for hybridization with potato varieties (for meiotic polyploidization) were bred using lines-donors of genes of male fertile FDR 2n-gamete formation. The diploid initial material developed as the result of the research is of the interest for prospective alternative directions of potato breeding using selection at the diploid level: breeding diploid potato varieties as well as parental lines for production of hybrids and hybrid populations for true potato seed technology.