title: Cryopreservation of sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas [L.] Lam.) shoot tips by vitrification.
abstract: Vitrification is a technically simple method for cryopreserving plant germplasm, requiring only the application of suitable cryoprotectants and rapid cooling rates. Sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas [L.] Lam.) shoot tips obtained from in vitro plants survived liquid nitrogen (-196°C) exposure following a vitrification-inducing pretreatment. Shoot tips were treated in a stepwise manner with a vitrification solution containing 30% glycerol, 15% ethylene glycol and 15% dimethylsulfoxide in growth medium. Incubation of shoot tips for 1 to 2 h in low concentrations of the vitrification solution enhanced survival. Most surviving shoot tips developed callus, and a variable percentage subsequently formed shoots. Survival was not achieved using two-step cooling procedures. The percentage of shoot tips surviving vitrification and those subsequently forming a shoot varied widely among replications.
authors.affiliation: USDA/ARS, National Seed Storage Laboratory, Colorado State University, 80523, Fort Collins, CO, USA.
authors.forename: L E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Towill
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Jarret