PROTOCOL DEVELOPMENT FOR IN VITRO SELECTION OF DROUGHT-TOLERANT SWEET POTATO

• Grant number: 25/07525-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2025
• End date: August 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Crop Science
• Principal Investigator: André Ricardo Zeist
• Grantee: Melina Moreira Benedito
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Sweet potato [Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.] stands out as a strategic crop in tropical and subtropical regions due to its nutritional value and wide adaptability to diverse edaphoclimatic conditions. However, increasing exposure to abiotic stresses, especially water deficit, compromises its agronomic performance, highlighting the need to select more resilient genotypes. In this context, the present project proposes the development and validation of a morphophysiological protocol for the in vitro selection of drought-tolerant sweet potato genotypes, using the osmotic agents sorbitol and polyethylene glycol (PEG 6000) at different concentrations. Four contrasting genotypes will be evaluated for regeneration rate, number of shoots, leaves and internodes, shoot height, root length, and accumulated dry biomass. The aim is to identify differential responses among genotypes and to compare the efficiency of the osmotic agents in stress induction. The experimental design will follow a completely randomized factorial scheme, and the data will be subjected to statistical analyses to establish a reproducible and cost-effective methodology applicable to sweet potato breeding programs. The expected results should enhance the capacity for early screening of promising genotypes, contributing to the development of cultivars with greater water use efficiency and adaptation to water-limited conditions. (AU)