GROWTH OF POTATO PLANTLETS IN A NUTRIENT-CIRCULATED MICROPROPAGATION SYSTEM WITH SUPPORTING MATERIALS UNDER FLUORESCENT LIGHTING

A nutrient-circulated micropropagation system was developed for photoautotrophic micropropagation of potato plantlets.
Various supporting materials (rockwool, perlite, vermiculite, and polyurethane) and nutrient supply cycles (12, 24, 36, and 48 h) were examined to determine the optimum condition for photoautotrophic micropropagation of potato (Solanum tuberosum L. ‘Dejima’) plantlets under fluorescent lighting.
Photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) and CO₂ concentration were escalated from 80 to 250 µmol m^-2 s^-1 and from 350 to 1500 µmol mol^-1 with growth stage, respectively.
All the growth factors of in vitro potato plantlets grown on rockwool, perlite and vermiculite for 28 days were greater than those grown on polyurethane.
The plantlets grown on rockwool had 8-fold higher dry weight than those grown on polyurethane.
Optimum nutrient supply cycles of perlite, rockwool, and vermiculite were 12, 24, and 48 h, respectively.
This result implied that the range of optimum nutrient supply cycle under fluorescent lighting was influenced by water retention characteristics of supporting materials.
This nutrient supply cycle in each supporting material was the condition to maintain the water content of 50 to 70% in the supporting material.
Thus, supporting materials and nutrient supply cycles were crucial environmental factors to control water content of root-zone and the growth of potato plantlets in the nutrient-circulated photoautotrophic mass propagation system.

VI International Symposium on Light in Horticulture

J.E. Son, I. Jang, J.S. Park, T.I. Ahn

fluorescent light, micropropagation, nutrient supply, supporting material, potato plantlet

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2011.907.62