Advances in Agriculture and Agricultural Sciences

Advances in Agriculture and Agricultural Sciences | Vol. 12, No. 3, March 2026 | pp. 61–65

DOI: 10.46882/2026.AAAS.120302

Short Communication

Title: Cryopreservation Optimization of Solanum tuberosum Shoot Tips via Droplet-Vitrification Protocols

Names of Authors: Zavala, E. R.¹, Mendoza, L. A.¹, and Castillo, B. N.²

Authors’ Affiliations: ¹International Potato Center (CIP), Lima, Peru. ²Department of Biotechnology, National Agrarian University La Molina, Lima, Peru.

Abstract: Long-term conservation of clonal potato genetic assets requires highly reproducible cryopreservation strategies that maintain cellular structural integrity. This work optimized a droplet-vitrification protocol for shoot tips extracted from three economically critical Solanum tuberosum cultivars. Explants were systematically pre-cultured on sucrose-enriched mediums (0.3 to 0.7 M) before exposure to plant vitrification solution 2 (PVS2) for varying durations (20, 40, 60, and 80 minutes) at 0 degrees Celsius. Treated shoot tips were placed on aluminum foil strips and immersed directly into liquid nitrogen. Maximum post-thaw regeneration percentages reached 76.5% for the 'Unica' cultivar when exposed to PVS2 treatment for exactly 60 minutes. Shorter exposure phases caused incomplete cell dehydration, inducing intracellular ice crystallization damage, whereas 80-minute protocols produced chemical toxicity symptoms. Histological evaluations verified that surviving cell matrices within the meristematic dome retained full morphogenetic competence, transitioning into rooted plantlets within 21 days without showing phenotypic abnormalities.

Keywords: Plant germplasm; Ex situ conservation; Vitrification solution; Meristem tissue; Potato breeding; Clonal repository.

Manuscript Timeline: Received November 18, 2025; Revised January 12, 2026; Accepted February 14, 2026; Published March 18, 2026.

Citation: Zavala, E. R., Mendoza, L. A., and Castillo, B. N. (2026). Cryopreservation Optimization of Solanum tuberosum Shoot Tips via Droplet-Vitrification Protocols. Advances in Agriculture and Agricultural Sciences, 12(3), pp. 61–65.

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