An innovativein vitrohydroponic culture system used in potato (Solanum tuberosumL.) microtuber production is described in this paper.In
vitropotato plantlets, 6–8 cm in height, derived from meristems of potato tubers cultured on 1/2 Murashige and Skoog (MS) nutrient medium after
30 days culture were cut into 1.5 cm stem node segments and used as explants. These stem nodes were cultured in a novel system calledin vitro
hydroponic culture system containing 1/2 MS medium supplemented with 0.5mM naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA), 0.3mM gibberellic acid (GA3),
3.7mM adenine sulfate, 10% coconut water, 0.5 g/l activated charcoal, 80 g/l sucrose with or without 8 g l
1
agar. Liquid medium was distributed
to the carrier substrates in each storey of the system with the aid of capillary robes. In the present paper, the effects of porous material used as
substrate carrier and the number of storeys involved in the culture system on microtuber formation and their morphological characteristics are
reported. Cotton layer substrate is more stable for organogenesis of potato microtubers. Microtubers, 3.19 mm in diameter and 49.82 mg in weight,
could be harvested from a one-storeyin vitrohydroponic culture system containing filter paper as substrate. However, microtubers cropped from
three-storeyin vitrohydroponic culture system with cotton layer were bigger and weightier than those from three-storey system containing filter
paper. The above results of thein vitro hydroponic system examined in this study might open up a new approach in producing potato and other
hygrophilous microtuber