SOMACLONAL VARIATION IN POTATOES (SOLANUM TUBEROSUM L.)
Keywords:
Tissue culture, somaclonal variation, selection,adventious shoot, meristem, Potato genotypes.Abstract
Somaclonal variation was studied in 2 potato varieties (Nif and Granola) and 2 potato clones (106 and 122.). Nodal cuttings of plantlets obtained from meristem culture were propagated in callus and regeneration media by rapid micropropagation techniques. Plantlets were transferred to pots and then transplanted in nursey beds. Plant height, stem number, branch number, leaf number, were measured. Coefficienty of variation (CV) was used as a criterion in comparing populations for the magnitude of somaclonal variation. Considerable somaclonal variation was found in the populations for tuber yield (Nif, Clone 122 and Granola ), tuber number (Nif, Clone 106), stem number (Nif,Clone 106 and Granola) and leaf number (Granola, Clone 106).