Use of growth inhibitor chlormequat chloride in potato culture in vitro

Sakhalin Research Institute of Agriculture, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, 963022, Russian Federation

^* Corresponding author: sarsarsar88@mail.ru

Abstract

The publication presents data on the use of growth inhibitor chlormequat chloride in in vitro potato culture on varieties of different maturity groups: Meteor (early), Zekura (mid-early), and Northern Lights (mid-season). Five dosages of the investigational product were studied, ranging from 0.1125 to 1.8 g/l. It was found that in maximum doses of the product there was a strong inhibition of all growth processes in all varieties. The research results showed that the most optimal concentration of chlormequat chloride is 0.225 g per 1 liter of Murashige and Skoog medium. At this dose, on 30^th day of cultivation, there was a decrease in the height of microplants from the control by 63.2-85.1%, in the root length - up to 15.0% and their number - up to 22.8% and an increase in the number of internodes by 6.5-22,0 % depending on the variety. The investigational product had an effect on formation of microtubers; in the Meteor variety, their largest number was 89.5% in the nutrient medium with a dose of 1.8 g/l, in the Zekura variety - 93.0% in the nutrient medium with a dose of 0.9 g/l. The new technique makes it possible to lengthen the periods between cuttings of test-tube plants by 2.3 times. This, in turn, reduces the cost of maintaining the in vitro collection material of potatoes in the summer-autumn period, and improves its quality, since each additional cutting cycle affects a more rapid degeneration of the variety. Also, microplants grown with growth inhibitor during subsequent relocation to a standard Murashige and Skoog medium did not show an aftereffect.