In vitro techniques and mutagenesis for the genetic improvement of potato cvs. desiree and diamant

The aim of the present study was to get somaclonal variants and induced mutants of potato for desirable characters with special emphasis on yield and yield components in two cultivars of potato viz., Desiree and Diamant. Inter-nodal explants from both the cultivars were incubated for 14- 20 wks in callus inducing medium comprising MS salts supplemented with NAA (1.0mg/l) and BAP (0.5mg/l) for obtaining somaclonal variants. For mutation induction, 10 week old, well proliferating calli was exposed to 5-50Gy of gamma irradiation. The regenerated plants were analyzed on the basis of morphological characters for variation. The plants were screened on the basis of average shoot height, number of shoots, number of nodes/shoots, average tuber number, tuber size, tuber weight and number of eyes / tuber. Three variant lines (SV1, SV2 and SV3) and 6 gamma mutant lines (GM1, GM2, GM3, GM4 GM5 and GM6) were selected on the basis of better yield and other agronomic characters. The current study demonstrates the production of useful variants both by tissue culture and gamma irradiation in potato. (author)