Elimination of sweet potato virus disease agents by meristem tip culture

Frison, E.A. & Ng, S.Y. (1981). Elimination of sweet potato virus disease agents by meristem tip culture. International Journal of Pest Management, 27(4), 452-454.

Sweet potato vein clearing disease agents have been eliminated from 20 elite clones of sweet potato through meristem tip culture. Meristem tips of 0.25 to 0.4 mm length were cultured in a modified Murashige and Skoog medium. Plantlets were obtained after two months and transferred to soil. Indexing was accomplished by approach grafting to Ipomoea setosa. About 80% of the plants obtained by meristem tip culture indexed negatively. Rapid multiplication was accomplished using single node cutting in vitro. A multiplication rate of 4.2 /month was obtained. The material can be stored in tissue culture for one year without transfer to fresh medium. Virus-free material of IITA elite clones of sweet potato is available for distribution.