IN VITRO EFFECT OF ACTIVATED CHARCOAL AND MICROCUTTING TYPE ON MICROTUBERIZATION OF POTATO CV. DIAMANT

Tips of sprouts 0.3 - 0.5 cm long produced from tubers of potato of (Solanum tuberosum L.) cv. Diamant were washed with tap water, sterilized with NaOCl and cultured onto proliferation medium. The cultures were incubated for 35 days at 16 hours photoperiod at 25 +/- 2 degrees C under 1000 lux light intensity. In vitro - proliferated shoot were cut at 1-2 cm into three types of microcuttings (i.e. subapical and basal) and cultured onto (MS) medium supplemented with 10% sucrose for microtuberization. Activated charcoal treatments (0.0, 0.5, 1,0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5 and 3.0 g/l were added to the microtuberization medium. The weihgt, diameter, and eye number of microtubers were significantly increased (380.1mg, 6.6mm, and 5.2 eye) respectively, when basal microcuttings were cultured on microtuberization medium supplimented with 2 g A charcoal. While 1.5g/l charcoal with the subapical cuttings gave higher proliferation rate (6.6 shoot).