The Use of Plant Tissue Culture Techniques for Producing Virus Free Manihot esculenta Var. MU51 Plants

Even though Manihot esculenta (Cassava) has been identified worldwide as a key starchy crop, it contains a rich number of phytochemicals that can be used for various purposes. However, conventional propagation methods have led to an increase in viral diseases, creating a problematic condition when using this species for the pharmaceutical industry. There is a lack of reliable protocols for the micropropagation of cassava (Var. MU51) for mass production in industrial use. Therefore, this work aimed to develop a reliable method for the mass production of healthy, virus-free Manihot esculenta (Var. MU51) for industrial applications. The focus was on creating a micropropagation protocol for the variety MU51, involving optimal surface sterilization and effective hormonal combination for shoot proliferation and ideal media for meristem culture. According to the study, a 10% Clorox solution, coupled with an exposure duration of 15 minutes, manifested the most noteworthy success rate (78 %) in preventing contamination (P < 0.05). In the context of the proliferation of shoots from M. esculenta nodes, the application of 0.5 mg/l BAP + 0.1 mg/l NAA as well as 1mg/l BAP + 0.1mg/l NAA following 5 weeks, the nodal segments that underwent shoot proliferation exhibited comparable growth in both treatments without significant difference (P > 0.05). The initiation of meristem growth was carried out utilizing a solid Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium fortified with a blend of 0.1 mg/l BAP, 0.25 mg/l GA3, and 0.2 mg/l NAA, in addition to a standard MS medium. The hormonal MS medium demonstrated a significantly superior survival rate (87%) (P < 0.05). The current investigation underscores the optimal conditions for mitigating contamination risks and promoting desirable outcomes in M. esculenta shoot proliferation and meristem growth, thereby contributing valuable insights to the fi eld. Keywords: Cassava; In-vitro culture; Meristem culture; Micropropagation