Establishment of an in vitro germplasm bank of potato seed tubers free of Fusarium spp.
Keywords:
Solanum tuberosum, plant tissue culture , fungi, dry rotAbstract
Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is a crop of major economic, social, and nutritional importance,
whose productivity largely depends on the phytosanitary quality of seed tubers. The use of
pathogen-free seed promotes crop establishment and yield, while reducing the incidence and spread of seed-borne diseases. Furthermore, the conservation of healthy germplasm is essential to preserve genetic resources and ensure the availability of high-quality plant material for research, breeding, and commercial production. In this study, an in vitro germplasm bank of Fusarium-free seed tubers from the potato cultivar Fianna was established. Thirty seed tubers were analyzed, from which two fungal strains were isolated and molecularly identified as Fusarium
falciforme and Fusarium thapsinum. Finally, an in vitro germplasm bank of potato plantlets free of
Fusarium spp. was obtained and validated by PCR
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