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Salinity problems seriously affect agricultural production by reducing crop yield and arable land. The evaluation of potato genotypes (Solanum spp.) for their salinity (NaCl) tolerance in conventional field trials is time consuming and labour intensive. The results are often confounded by many field and environmental variations. In vitro bioassays can overcome some of these difficulties by providing faster, more convenient and dependable methods for screening and selection of salt tolerant potato genotypes. The objective of this research was to develop in vitro bioassay methods for screening and selection of salt tolerant potato. Under in vitro NaCl stress conditions, seed germination, early seedling growth, and single-node cutting bioassays were used to evaluate salinity tolerance. The selected genotypes were further tested with three in vitro bioassays (single-node cuttings, root tip segments, and microtuberization). The rankings of potato cultivar salinity tolerance were similar in these bioassays. The single-node cutting bioassay was recommended because it was simpler to perform than the root tip segment and microtuberization bioassays and did not exclude certain genotypes as did the microtuberization bioassay. The in vitro bioassay rankings were compared with yield ranking in field lysimeters. In both the in vitro and in vivo saline stress experiments, cvs. Kennebec and Russet Burbank were more salt tolerant than Norland. The tubers and microtubers harvested from previous experiments were tested in the greenhouse to investigate salinity carry-over effect for seed tuber production. There was no apparent residual carry-over effect found. Microtuber yield increase in the presence of low NaCl concentration was induced primarily by specific ion (Na+), and not osmotic effects. This research clearly indicated that in vitro bioassays are relatively simple, rapid, convenient, repeatable, and agree with the field lysimeter results. They can be used to substitute for f

This research was carried out to identify salt tolerant potato genotypes in vitro among 131 tetraploid potato cultivars (Solanum tuberosum), 9 diploid simple hybrid clones (4 clones of S. chacoense $ times$ S. tuberosum, 4 clones of S. phureja/S. stenotomum $ times$ S. tuberosum, and 1 clone of S. tuberosum $ times$ S. tuberosum), 1 primitive cultivated diploid S. phureja/S. stenotomum accession, 12 tetraploid complex hybrids, and 13 diploid S. chacoense accessions. Four levels of NaCl (0, 40, 80, and 120 mM) were used. The cultivars, and the simple and complex hybrids were tested for salt tolerance at the vegetative stage in the nodal cutting bioassay. The thirteen S. chacoense accessions were tested for salt tolerance at the germination and early seedling growth stage, in a seedling bioassay. Eleven of these S. chacoense accessions were further tested at the vegetative stage, in the nodal cutting bioassay. There was a progressive decline in the morphological parameters measured, with increased salt levels, in the nodal cutting bioassay. The parameters were used collectively in ranking the different genotypes, averaged over three NaCl levels (40, 80, and 120 mM). Twenty potato cultivars, two clones of the simple hybrid S. chacoense $ times$ S. tuberosum, and one complex hybrid were all considered salt tolerant at the vegetative stage. Ranking of seven S. chacoense accessions was similar between early seedling growth and later vegetative stage. Two of these accessions were promising as sources of salt tolerance.