Physiology of Tuberization in Solanum tuberosum L

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Abstract
Using high pressure liquid chromatography, the cucumber cotyledon bioassay, and mass spectrometry a cytokinin isolated from S. tuberosum L. cv. Katahdin plant tissues was identified as cis-zeatin riboside. Zeatin riboside (ZR) levels in plants grown under inducing conditions (28.degree. C day and 13.degree. C night with a 10 h photoperiod) were significantly higher than those in plants grown under noninducing conditions (30.degree. C day and 28.degree. C night with an 18 h photoperiod). The highest level of ZR was noted in below-ground tissue after 4 days exposure to inducing conditions, with tuber initiation observed after 8 days. A companion study conducted to determine the effect of ZR on in vitro tuberization of noninduced rhizomes revealed that after 1 mo. in culture, controls exhibited 0% tuberization, while ZR treatments of 0.3 and 3.0 mg/l showed 39 and 75% tuberization, respectively.