OPTIMAL ENVIRONMENT FOR SUGARCANE MICROPROPAGATION

Optimal environmental conditions were determined for stage II micropro pagation of the sugarcane cultivar H62-4671. The optimum conditions ba sed on the cost of production were found to be a temperature of 31-deg rees-C, a medium sucrose content of 2%, 6 initial shoots per vessel, a photosynthetic photon flux of 200-mu-mol/m2.s, and three medium chang es over the 14 day growth period. However, the maximum plant growth wa s with two initial shoots per vessel, a photosynthetic photon flux of 310-mu-mol/m2.s, and four medium changes. No significant increases in growth due to ventilation, carbon dioxide enrichment, ethylene enrichm ent, or dew point depression were found.