African Journal of
Agricultural Research

  • Abbreviation: Afr. J. Agric. Res.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 1991-637X
  • DOI: 10.5897/AJAR
  • Start Year: 2006
  • Published Articles: 6860

Full Length Research Paper

Embryo-like structures and root regeneration induced by 2, 4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid in twenty African sweet potato cultivars

Abel Sefasi
  • Abel Sefasi
  • School of Agricultural Sciences, Makerere University, Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda.
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Marc Ghislain
  • Marc Ghislain
  • International Potato Center, Box 1558, Lima 12, Peru.
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Andrew Kiggundu
  • Andrew Kiggundu
  • National Agricultural Research Laboratories Institute, Kawanda, P. O. Box 7065, Kampala, Uganda.
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Gorrettie Ssemakula
  • Gorrettie Ssemakula
  • National Crops Resources Research Institute, Box 7084, Kampala, Uganda.
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Runyararo Rukarwa
  • Runyararo Rukarwa
  • School of Agricultural Sciences, Makerere University, Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda.
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Robert Mwanga
  • Robert Mwanga
  • International Potato Center, Box 22274, Kampala, Uganda.
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Jan Kreuze
  • Jan Kreuze
  • International Potato Center, Box 1558, Lima 12, Peru.
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Settumba Mukasa
  • Settumba Mukasa
  • School of Agricultural Sciences, Makerere University, Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda.
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  •  Received: 11 April 2016
  •  Accepted: 24 June 2016
  •  Published: 06 April 2017

Abstract

Embryo-like structures were induced from ‘whole leaf’ explants of sixteen of the twenty investigated sweet potato cultivars on Murashige and Skoog (1962) medium supplemented with 2,4 Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (0.2 mg/L) at the Makerere University Agricultural Research Institute Tissue culture laboratory. Shoot and root regeneration was possible in the non-African cultivar, Jonathan, whereas only root regeneration was successfully induced in five African cultivars. Cultivar type had a highly significant (P < 0.001) effect on frequency of embryo-like structures and efficiency of both shoot and root regeneration. The embryo-like structures induced could be useful for initiation of cell suspensions to enable genetic transformation of African cultivars. The method for de novo regeneration of roots has potential application in the regeneration of plants or hairy root cultures for cultivars that are recalcitrant to shoot regeneration.

 

Key words: 2, 4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, cultivar, in vitro recalcitrance, regeneration efficiency, somatic embryogenesis.