Abstract

The yam clones ´Pacala Duclos´ and ´Belep´ of Dioscorea alata were used to evaluate the performance of microtubers formed in temporary immersion systems (TIS) in field conditions. Previously sprouted microtubers with a fresh weight higher than 3.0 gFW were used while in vitro plants and tuber crowns from conventional propagation methods served as control. In both clones there were no significant differences in qualitative morphological characters between plants from microtubers and in vitro plants for all traits but both differed significantly from plants obtained from tuber crowns. The same trend was observed for number, length, diameter and fresh weight of tubers produced 36 weeks after field planting. The number of tubers formed per plant raised from microtubers doubled that raised from tuber crowns in both clones. Microtubers from temporary immersion systems can be grown on the field and used in original seed production programs.

Key words: Microtuber, yam, field, temporary immersion system.

Abbreviation

TIS; temporary immersion system, FW; fresh weight.