Question

How did burbank's process in developing a potato compare to the process of natural selection?

Answer 1

Natural selection would be based on whatever characters allow the plants to survive and reproduce and possibly outcompete other plants. Burbank's "artificial selection" would choose the parents of the next generation based on the characters chosen by their breeders. Those traits would be whatever people wanted them to be. For a potato for human consumption that is probably traits that affect texture and taste, maybe color of the flesh and size of the tuber.