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Abstract

Dioscorea opposita Thunb. (Chinese yam) is an important tuber crop in East Asia because of its dual benefits edible and medicinal properties. Microtubers may provide a feasible alternative to in-vitro-grown plantlets as a means of micropropagation and a way to exchange healthy planting material. In this study, we have developed a simplified culture method for In vitro production of microtubers from D. opposita cv. ‘Tiegun’. In this method, microtubers formed in 98% of the internodes of single nodal segments after four weeks of dark-incubation when cultured in MS medium supplemented with 60 g sucrose l-1 with shaking. Anatomical observations strongly supported the process of tuberization. We also found that 66% of the microtubers produced In vitro sprouted two months after transfer to vermiculite. The protocol presented here provides a simple model for studying the physiological, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms of tuberization in D. opposita, and shows good potential for large-scale production of microtubers as well. Key words: Dioscorea opposita; Liquid medium; Microtuber; Shaking culture; Single nodal segments.

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