Tissue culture system facilitates examination of gene expression during breakage of vegetative dormancy in the potato tuber shoot apical meristem

Abstract

While the shoot apical meristem's role during dormancy emergence in seeds is relatively well-understood, molecular factors governing vegetative endodormancy and sprouting in tuberous plants have not been well studied. A microtuber culture system was developed in order to study dormancy emergence in the shoot apical meristem of the potato (Solanum tuberosum). Microtubers were induced from subcultured shoot internodes, grown for 9 weeks, then harvested.