Abstract
The production of mini-tubers under soilless cultivation system increased the availability of pathogen-free seed potatoes. The objective of this study was to evaluate the rooting capability of mini-cuttings of potato clones as a function of the irrigation solution and the physiological age of the mother plant, under soilless cultivation system. Potato mini-cuttings were collected from young and mature plants of the cultivars Asterix and Macaca and the advanced clone SMINIA 793101-3. The young plants were newly acclimatized individuals and the mature plants were at the stage of producing mini-tubers. In the first experiment, mini-cuttings originating from summer pruning of mature plants were grown under closed soilless cultivation system irrigated with a nu- trient solution developed for the production of potato mini-tubers and a solution comprised of tap water only. The experiment was conducted in a 3 × 2 factorial arrangement (clones and irrigation solutions) in the complete random design with four replicates of 15 mini-cuttings. In the second experiment, the young and mature mini-cuttings were established under a closed soilless cultivation system irrigated with nutrient solution. The experiment was conducted in a 3 × 2 factorial arrangement (clones and physiological age of the mother plant) in the complete random design with four replicates of 15 mini-cuttings. In both experiments, the percentage of rooting and survival of mini-cuttings, number of roots and length of the longest root were assessed at 21 days of cultivation. Potato mini-cuttings can be rooted under closed soilless cultivation system irrigated with nutrient solution or tap water. Mini-cuttings of young plants have higher rooting capability compared to the ones taken from mature plants. The loss of rooting capability depends upon the potato cultivar.
Highlights
Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) cultivation is characterized by a high yield potential and ensures greater use of food production areas
Second Experiment In the second experiment, the percentage of rooting, number of roots and length of the longest root were influenced by the physiological age of the mother plants
Lower rooting capacity of mini-cuttings from mother plants with advanced physiological age had already been observed in potatoes [8] and woody species [14]-[16], which shows that the juvenility of the propagation material can determine the success of adventitious rooting
Summary
Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) cultivation is characterized by a high yield potential and ensures greater use of food production areas. The use of seed potatoes infected by fungi, bacteria and/or viruses reduces the potential yield of the crop as a result of the progressive degeneration caused by such pathogens during successive field generations. This requires the regular renewal of the seed potatoes used in crop implementation [1]. In Brazil, the production of mini-tubers under soilless cultivation system has enabled the increased supply of pathogen-free seed potatoes. This system allows greater plant health and proper nutrition control [2], in addition to increased productivity of mini-tubers per area unit [3]-[5]. The plantlets used to produce mini-tubers are cultivated in vitro, whose cost of production is high, especially because of specialized equipment and reagent requirements [6]
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