This thesis describes experiments designed to improve microtuberization efficiency, and to evaluate a range of dormancy-breaking agents for microtubers and minitubers. Provision of continuous darkness, agitation to cultures, mechanical resistance to stolons, or lower levels of medium nitrogen did not improve microtuberization. The 16/8 h d/n cycle at step 1 of microtuberization was significantly better than 12/12 or 8/16 h d/n cycles based on microtuber yield. Cultures exposed to prolonged step 2 or 2 successive harvests, rather than a single harvest at 30--35 d, had significantly improved microtuber yield. In a series of chemical and mechanical treatments applied to microtubers and minitubers, with or without variable periods of cold storage, 500 mg l -1 GA3 was the most efficient in breaking-dormancy and inducing precocious sprouting. GA3 was the only agent that was able to break dormancy of minitubers that had not been cold stored. After 2 weeks of cold storage, minitubers treated with GA3 also broke dormancy, while Signal was less effective in promoting sprouting. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.21561 |
| Date | January 1999 |
| Creators | Habib, Ahsan. |
| Contributors | Donnelly, D. J. (advisor) |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Master of Science (Department of Plant Science.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 001657804, proquestno: MQ50781, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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