TECHNIQUES FOR THE INVITRO PRODUCTION OF POTATO SEED TUBERS

THIS PROJECT SEEKS TO DEVELOP A COMMERCIALLY VIABLE IN VITROMASS PRODUCTION SYSTEM FOR PRE-NUCLEAR SEED POTATOES. NOVEL IN VITRO TUBERIZATION ENVIRONMENTS FOR MASS PRODUCTIONWILL BE DESIGNED. OUR SYSTEM DESIGN MUST ADDRESS TWO PROCESSES; MICROPROPAGATION TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF TUBER FORMATION SITES AND THE TUBERIZATION PROCESS ITSELF. CRITERIA FOR A SUCCESSFUL FINAL PRODUCT INCLUDE: UNIFORMITY OF MATURITY AND SIZE, A MASS OF APPROXIMATELY 10 GRAMS PER TUBER AND COSTS BELOW $.50 PER UNIT. THE PHASE I RESEARCH WILL ADDRESS THE ISSUES OF UNIFORM MICROTUBER PRODUCTION BY ATTEMPTING TO DEFINE CONDITIONS FOR UNIFORM TUBER INDUCTION AND SUBSEQUENT BULKING TO INCREASE THE SIZE OF THE MICROTUBERS. IN ADDITION, THE PHASE I RESEARCH WILL DESIGN AN EXPERIMENTAL PROTOTYPE BIOREACTOR FOR POTATO SHOOT MULTIPLICATION AND SUBSEQUENT TUBERIZATION FOR USE IN THE PHASE II RESEARCH.