IN-VITRO RESPONSE OF TRUE POTATO SEEDS (TPS) PARENTS FOR MICRO PROPAGATION

In-vitro response of four TPS Parents viz., Atzimba, LT-8, MF-1 and TPS-67 for root length, plantlet height, number of roots per plantlet, number of nodes per plantlet and survival percentage were studied at the Tissue Culture Laboratory, Biological Sciences Department, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad from November 2004 to July 2005. IBA specific effect of TPS parents on numbers of root/plantlet, root length, plantlet height and number of nodes per plantlets was observed. Similarly, effect of treatment (IBA concentration) on numbers of root/plantlet, root length, plantlet height, number of nudes per plantlet and survival percentage of plantlets was highly significant. Plantlets cultured in MS medium produced maximum number of roots per plantlet (7.1), the longest roots (2.52 cm), and the highest survival percentage of plantlets (92.66%). Moreover, the tallest plantlets were recoded in MS medium (T1) and were at par with those cultured at T3 (1.5 pmm IBA + MS medium). Difference among TPS parents was highly significant for number of roots per plantlet, plantlet height and number of nodes per plantlet. Among the TPS Parents, Atzimba and LT-8 produced maximum number of roots per plantlet, the tallest plantlets and the greatest nodes per plantlet. In this study, MS medium was found to be the optimal medium for shoot elongation, root development and maximum number of nodes per plantlets which resulted in better survival percentage in the field. Among the TPS parents, Atzimba and LT-8 showed better performance for almost all characters.