Special aspects of culture work on potatoes. Review

The use of modern biotechnological methods makes it possible to preserve the identity of potato varieties in tissue culture, however, even in such conditions, risks associated with the fixation of modifications of individual economically valuable traits on the biomaterial cannot be excluded. The purpose of the research is to study the cultural characteristics of maintaining collections in vitro and clonal propagation of potatoes. The conditions for maintaining collection in vitro in the form of growing plants differ from the conditions created for clonal propagation and cultivation of microplants in the original potato seed production. The main objective of maintaining collection in vitro is to slow down growth as much as possible and minimize cutting cycles without significant loss of plant viability. In international practice, such plants are cultivated under a 16-hour photoperiod with a temperature range of 8...10 °C and a lighting intensity of no more than 50 lx. To maintain the identity of the biomaterial in the collection, standardized hormone-free compositions of nutrient media are used. While replication of the source material is used for accelerated clonal propagation of potatoes and growing the required volumes, followed by planting the biomaterial on the substrate and obtaining mini-tubers. In this case, the process of explant regeneration is aimed at accelerated organogenesis and the production of well-developed regenerant plants. To ensure the formative process of clonal propagation, nutrient media of various compositions are used, including those with the addition of growth regulators. Their presence in various combinations and concentrations can lead to deviations from varietal identity. Long-term deposition of material in vitro without proper control of varietal uniformity by basic morphological characteristics can threaten the loss of identity of potato bioresources.