Effect of Cytokinins on Direct Regeneration of Five Potato Cultivars

In order to optimize direct regeneration of potato cultivars (Solanum tuberosum L.) including Arinda, Agria, Sante, Maradona and Marfona, a factorial experiment was carried out in the form of completely randomized design with three replications. Internode explants were placed on MS medium supplemented with different concentrations of 6-Benzylaminopurine (1, 2, 5, 10 and 15 mg/l) in combination with Kinetin (0.5, 1, 2, 5, 10 and 15 mg/l). Results showed that using 6-Benzylaminopurine (BAP) was more effective than Kinetin in direct regeneration of potato. Low concentrations of BAP had the greatest effect on regeneration and also length of root and shoot but maximum numbers of somatic embryos were obtained in the presence of high a concentration of BAP. Using kinetin only influenced the number and length of regenerated shoots. Although Kinetin had no effect on the rate of regeneration but BAP increased it. There were significant differences among cultivars in all traits. Among tested cultivars, Marfona had the best direct regeneration ability in vitro condition. Therefore, it can be concluded that induction of direct organogenesis in potato is largely dependent on the genotype, and the use of BAP growth regulator plays an important role in inducing direct regeneration in potato cultivars.