Response of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) cultivars to drought stress under in vitro and field conditions

Chemical and Biological Technologies in Agriculture

Table 3 Number of leaves/plantlet, leaf area/plantlet, plantlet water content (PWC%), and potassium content (K⁺) of stem node derived in vitro plantlets of 21 potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) cultivars

Cultivar	No. of leaves/plantlet				Leaf area/plantlet (mm²)				PWC%				K⁺ (mmol kg⁻¹ FW)
Cultivar	0.0^a	0.1	0.2	0.3	0.0	0.1	0.2	0.3	0.0	0.1	0.2	0.3	0.0	0.1	0.2	0.3
Agata	11.10	8.21	7.45	6.21	896.3	455.6	366.3	268.2	91	88	85	84	82	81	42	30
Almond	11.56	9.55	6.32	3.25	1000.3	365.2	265.2	155.2	94	77	60	45	73	29	22	19
Anya	11.20	9.90	6.90	4.15	905.2	346.1	209.0	115.0	93	75	40	20	80	35	25	22
Atlantic	11.65	9.98	6.10	5.10	1105.2	921.0	895.0	150.1	93	84	79	75	82	81	42	30
Burren	11.00	9.00	5.60	4.67	1103.1	1151.0	507.0	406.0	91	72	56	41	73	36	23	20
Cara	10.20	8.90	5.50	4.64	1100.0	850.0	496.0	401.0	92	76	57	42	72	30	25	21
Champion	10.35	8.40	5.50	3.10	1100.5	816.0	506.0	319.0	95	75	55	41	73	36	23	20
Desiree	11.30	8.50	5.50	3.80	899.2	507.0	406.0	299.0	93	70	55	40	70	30	25	20
Diamond	12.67	9.00	8.21	6.67	1000.2	910.0	446.0	425.0	93	90	88	87	81	81	51	38
Gala	8.40	7.50	4.50	1.50	884.5	436.0	265.0	167.2	91	60	45	25	77	30	21	18
Gazella	9.70	7.44	6.54	4.10	878.5	516.0	496.0	407.0	94	73	55	40	73	35	25	20
Kennebec	11.50	10.67	8.57	7.21	984.1	855.3	516.0	406.0	94	87	82	76	85	84	50	32
King Edward	9.85	7.90	5.50	4.34	856.3	649.0	526.0	410.0	94	74	56	41	73	29	22	19
Lady Balfour	10.33	6.33	4.67	3.67	993.5	509.0	413.0	319.0	91	77	49	30	73	36	23	20
Lady Rosetta	11.40	8.70	5.60	3.50	847.5	607.0	316.0	246.0	90	71	56	41	76	30	22	18
Marble	10.25	8.44	5.74	3.11	888.9	507.0	330.0	269.0	94	72	55	42	70	28	26	19
Marfona	10.65	8.10	5.66	3.02	898.6	612.0	352.0	254.0	91	72	56	41	70	26	22	20
Maritiema	9.67	6.67	5.33	3.33	874.6	549.0	406.0	322.0	90	76	58	43	67	33	24	18
Mizen	10.10	7.10	4.10	3.21	996.3	649.0	316.0	253.0	92	77	48	34	75	32	22	16
Russet Burbank	10.24	8.45	7.50	6.54	1002.3	855.0	423.0	356.0	94	86	80	76	85	84	50	32
Spunta	9.87	7.01	6.54	4.58	1000.3	516.0	412.0	396.0	94	75	56	40	82	43	42	30
LSD (0.05)	0.2115				16.214				7.1641				6.021

Explants were grown on media supplemented with three different levels of sorbitol (0.1, 0.2 or 0.3 mol L⁻¹) compared with the control (no sorbitol). The experiment was repeated three times (n = 20) and significant differences were calculated using LSD test
^aSorbitol mol L⁻¹