Abstract
This study aimed to develop a protocol for the in vitro conservation of 30 accessions of sweet potato collected in the northern region of Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil, aiming to extend the period between subcultures for this species. An in vitro minimal growth experiment was established with accession UENF 1931 in a factorial arrangement consisting of four concentrations of mineral salts in MS medium and four concentrations of sucrose, at two temperatures. The others accessions were grown in medium containing 100% MS salts and 2% sucrose, which was the medium that allowed the in vitro conservation of accession UENF 1931 for a longer time period. For this second experiment, 30 accessions of sweet potato and two temperatures were used. Plant height, number of leaves, and survival rate were measured every 30 days for 12 months, in both experiments. In the last stage, the sweet potato plantlets originating from in vitro minimal growth were acclimatized and exhibited 100% survival. The recommended in vitro minimal growth conditions for the studied accessions are MS medium with 100% concentration of mineral salts and 2% sucrose, at a temperature of 27±2°C, with subculture performed every 180 days.
Highlights
The sweet potato is considered the seventh most important crop in the world and the fifth most important in developing countries (Loebenstein, 2009)
Two commercial genotypes developed by Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (Embrapa), i.e., ‘Brazlândia Rosada’ (UENF 1997) and ‘Princesa’ (UENF 1994), were used (Table 1)
At 360 days, the plants of accession UENF 1931 in the treatment with 100% MS medium and 2% sucrose at both temperatures were explanted, and nodal segments containing one bud were transferred to a new medium with the same concentrations of salts and sucrose
Summary
The sweet potato is considered the seventh most important crop in the world and the fifth most important in developing countries (Loebenstein, 2009). In Africa and Asia, thousands of people depend on sweet potato for food safety (Zhang, Wang, Liu, & Wang, 2009). This vegetable crop can be used in home cooking or as a raw material in industrial processes for the production of sweets, flour, flakes, and starch, in addition to the production of biomass for biofuel (Ferrari, Guigou, & Lareo, 2013; Wang, Shi, Xia, Li, & Chen, 2013; Zhang et al, 2013). In several areas of production, the sweet potato is a typical crop for small rural producers who are responsible for the maintenance of high genetic variability through the conservation of local varieties on their farms.
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