SELECTION FOR COLD HARDINESS SWEET POTATOES FROM BALIEM VALLEY BY IN-VITRO CULTURE

Thirty seven cultivars of sweet potatoes from Baliem valley of Irian Jaya, Indonesia were cultured in-vitro on MS basal medium + 37.3 mg/l Na₂EDTA + 0.03 ppm NAA + 0.3 ppm BAP + 50 g/l sucrose. Among them, 30 cultivars survived and grew into calli, produced shoot and/or roots. To induce regeneration, no growth regulators were included in the medium however, satisfactory result were obtained.

In-vitro culture responses to low temperature of 10°C for one month were evaluated. Among 20 cultivars withstood low temperature, only 7 cultivars showed promising result. The cultures were dormant for a couple of days after the treatment but later grew comparably to the control.