VIEW ARTICLE

Meristem Tip Culture and Virus Indexing of Sweet Potatoes. Rodrigo Alconero, Mayaguez Institute of Tropical Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico 00708; Alma G. Santiago(2), Francisco Morales(3), and Félix Rodriguez(4). (2)(3)(4)Mayaguez Institute of Tropical Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico 00708. Phytopathology 65:769-773. Accepted for publication 6 February 1975. DOI: 10.1094/Phyto-65-769.

Meristematic tips (0.4-0.8 mm long) of axillary shoots of 10 sweet potato cultivars developed into complete plants in 20-50 days in modified Murashige and Skoog agar medium. Several kinetin: indoleacetic acid combinations were adequate, but cultivars differed markedly in response. Of 150 plants tested, 47% did not cause virus symptoms when grafted onto Ipomoea setosa. The use of small tips avoided the need for preliminary heat therapy, and the appropriate combination of growth factors allowed the use of a single medium for production of complete plants within a short time.