Agriculture & Food, Volume 10, 2022

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to find viable solutions for problems encountered during in vitro cultivation of sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.). Plant tissue culture are especially suitable for obtaining and maintaining a stock of pathogen-free plants, which can then be multiplied and used as an initial material. Although tissue cultures, carried out under controlled conditions, in a sterile environment, have important applications in plant biotechnologies, however, there are many factors that can influence their success. In addition to the minimum equipment of a plant tissue culture laboratory good function (adequate spaces, equipment, chemicals, laboratory glassware and tools etc.) and trained workers, the success of such an activity also depends on finding the best conditions for the harmonious growth and development of plant organisms, in a controlled environment. These challenges relate in particular to: introducing in vitro conditions of biological material from the in vivo environment; sterilization of the material which will be used as a source of explants; choosing a suitable growth medium, microbial contamination control; establishing optimal parameters in terms of temperature and photoperiod etc. The factors mentioned above vary by species and, more than that, by variety. In this study, the research was carried out over four years, on five Korean sweet potato varieties, at the Research Laboratory for Plant Tissue Cultures of the National Research and Development Institute for Potato and Sugar Beet, Brasov.