Elimination of Potato Spindle Tuber Viroid by Low Temperature and Meristem Culture

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Abstract
Since growing of potato plants at low temperature seems to adversely affect the replication of the potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTV), a study was undertaken to investigate the possibility of eradicating it from an infected clone (clone BR 63.5 of Solanum tuberosum .times. S. phureja). A severe strain of PSTV was successfully eliminated from a potato clone by a combination of low temperature treatment (5-8.degree. C) of the infected plant and subsequent meristem culture. Seven of 13 plants, which developed from meristems of plantlets grown in vitro at 5-6.degree. C for 6 mo. were free of PSTV. From plantlets derived from infected tubers and grown at 8.degree. C for 4 mo., 17 excised meristems grew to plants and 5 were free of PSTV. All plants grown from meristems of in vitro plants or of plants from infected tubers that had been cultivated at 22-25.degree. C, were still infected. PSTV was detected by electrophoresis and tomato bioassay on plants raised under temperature conditions favorable for PSTV multiplication.

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