Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) Biotechnology: Progress and Perspectives

Abstract

Although sweet potato is one of the most important plants around the world (FAO, 1989), biotechnological work on it has lagged behind. In the last years few groups have reported their experiences in sweet potato molecular biology manipulation to increase its nutritional quality (Lopez et al. 1996) and to give it pest resistance (Newel et al. 1995). Others have been working on protoplast isolation and regeneration (Sihachakr and Ducreux, 1987), and regeneration and transformation from roots, petioles, stems and leaves (Gosukonda et al. 1995; Carswell and Locy, 1984). The most important factors affecting the evolution of the “in vitro” culture, regeneration and transformation responses of sweet potato is the genotype worked on (Gosukonda et al. 1995).