MICROPROPAGATION OF POTATO VARIETIES AND THEIR INVITRO CHARACTERIZATION AGAINST SALT STRESS

Abstract

Two potato varieties namely Kuroda and Paramount were collected from the Agriculture
Research Institute Tarnab Peshawar, KPK, Pakistan, for their micropropagation and then
characterizing them in vitro against the salt stress. This process was performed at the Plant
Tissue Culture Laboratory in Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (IBGE),The
University of Agriculture Peshawar, Pakistan. The potato varieties were first allowed to sprout
under suitable conditions. Then the buds obtained from sprouted potatoes were used as their
explants for micropropagation. These explants were cultured on Murashige and Skooge(MS)
medium in test tubes. Some of them were used as control with no salt. While in the remaining
test tubes three different salt concentrations i.e. 25mM, 50mM and 75mM were used. After few
days various parameters of the cultured buds such as rooting and shooting response, the number
of roots formed and the difference in salt stress responses of the two potato varieties was
determined. It was deduced that there is no clear relation between the growth parameters and the
salt concentration. Still it was seen that both of the potato varieties are highly adaptive.