Induction of Buds by Cold and Gibberellic Acid Pretreatment of Potato Tubers (Solanum tuberosum L.) for in vitro Plant Regeneration

Pyminnan Traoré, Yaya Touré, Idrissa Coulibaly, Tchoa Koné and Mongomaké Koné

Background and Objective: Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is a globally important food crop, yet its cultivation in tropical regions is limited by the absence of an efficient local seed production system. This study aimed to develop an integrated and reproducible protocol for in vitro regeneration of potato adapted to tropical environments. Materials and Methods: Tubers of two cultivars, Roseval and Charlotte, were subjected to four preconditioning treatments combining Gibberellic Acid (GA₃) and cold exposure to enhance bud induction before culture initiation. Excised buds were disinfected with Sodium Hypochlorite (NaOCl) or Calcium Hypochlorite [Ca(ClO)₂] at concentrations of 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0% active chlorine for varying exposure times. Regenerated plantlets were multiplied through successive subcultures on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with Morel and Wetmore vitamins and subsequently acclimatized on different substrates. Data were analyzed in R (v4.3.3) with arcsine-transformed percentages, ANOVA for cultivar, pretreatment, and disinfection effects, and Tukey’s HSD test for significant differences (p<0.05). Results: The combined GA₃+cold pretreatment significantly increased bud formation (20.3 buds per tuber in Roseval and 12.4 in Charlotte), confirming a synergistic effect on dormancy release and sprout development. Optimal disinfection was achieved using 1% active chlorine for 8 min, producing more than 86% healthy plantlets for both disinfectants. During acclimatization, sand and forest soil provided the highest survival rates (96.7% in Roseval and over 80% in Charlotte). Conclusion: This integrated approach harmonized pretreatment, disinfection, and acclimatization steps, enabling the efficient regeneration of vigorous and disease-free potato plantlets. The optimized protocol establishes a technical foundation for local seed potato production in West Africa, thereby contributing to regional food security and sustainable crop propagation.

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