Evaluation of the type of container for greenhouse acclimatization of in vitro propagated cassava seedlings

Abstract

Cassava (Manihot esculenta) is a fundamental species for human and animal nutrition worldwide. In 2020, the planting of 205 034.88 hectares was reported in Colombia, ranking third in production in Latin America. The vegetative propagation of cassava implies risks in the dissemination of phytosanitary problems. To ensure the health of the initial planting material, propagation must be done with indexed plants from in vitro propagated seedlings. Vitro seedlings present difficulties in the acclimatization stage by subjecting them to a process of transition from in vitro to ex vitro conditions. To facilitate the acclimatization process, the hardening percentage of two cassava varieties in three types of containers was evaluated at AGROSAVIA's Palmira Research Center, in Palmira, Valle del Cauca, Colombia, using plastic bags with hermetic closure to simulate the conditions of a climatic chamber and using a mixture of soil and sand in a 3:2 ratio as a substrate. The results allowed to identify through an analysis of variance for a completely random design, that between the evaluated varieties there were no statistical differences in the percentage of hardening with values of 66.67 and 70.00 %, and between the types of containers if differences were presented, being the polyethylene bag the one with the best result with an average hardening percentage of 75 %, followed by the polystyrene cup with 70 % and finally the polyethylene germination tray with 60 %. It is concluded that, with the conditions worked in this research and the use of a polyethylene bag, it is possible to acclimatize cassava plants in vitro.