AN EFFICIENT IN VITRO PROPAGATION PROTOCOL FOR A SUSTAINABLE SUPPLY OF CASSAVA

Millions of people in many countries of the world depend on Cassava (Manihot esculenta) for food security, as it thrives in marginal soils and can help combat hunger. However, slow reproduction rates hinder the adoption of improved varieties. A protocol for in vitro propagation of Cassava using stem nodes was developed. Sterile stem nodes were cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium with different concentrations of naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) and benzyl adenine (BA). The optimal growth medium was MS medium supplemented with 1.0 mg l-1 BA and 0.1 mg l-1 NAA, producing two shoots per explant. The axillary buds generated during the establishment stage were cultivated on MS medium supplemented with 1.0 mg l-1 BA and 0.1 mg l-1 NAA in order to multiply them. The best multiplication results were obtained from the fourth subculture. Indole-butyric acid (IBA) at 1.0 mg l-1 and 0.5 mg l-1 indole-acetic acid (IAA) were added to MS medium for rooting. The seedlings were acclimatized successfully in a 1:1:1 mixture of sand, peat and silt, achieving 100% survival rate and showed no phenotypic differences during their growth period under greenhouse conditions.