Escort (Poland)

The aim of this investigation was produced micro tubers of four potato cultivars Premiere, Bintje, Estima and Escort in vitro. Apical meristems (0.2-0.4 mm) of potato cultivars were excised and cultured on nutrient medium and incubated at 24±2 Cº and 1000 lux light intensity for 16 hrs per day. The developing plantlets were examined serological by using ELISA technique to eliminate the viral infected plantlets. The virus-free plantlets were chopped into pieces with single bud and re cultured on fresh medium for mass propagation. For micro tubers formation in test tubes, the cultures were transferred to another medium containing a high percent of sucrose (60g/L) with different concentrations of kinetin; the cultures were incubated under 16±2 Cº and 8 hrs photoperiod. The plantlets formed micro tubers after 8-10 weeks from culturing. The results showed significant differences among cultivar’s in their response to in vitro culture and micro tubers formation. The results also showed that the kinetin concentration had significant effect on micro tubers, and 1mg/l kinetin concentration was the best. The micro tubers were stored for 10 week at 4Cº to break down the dormancy period, and gave 100% germination under nursery condition. Numbers of tubers derived from micro tubers and normal tubers of these cultivars were compared at the end of season.