Establecimiento de un banco de plantas madre de caña de azúcar en condiciones semicontroladas para la propagación in vitro.

The propagation of sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) Requires seed with physiological and phytosanitary quality. The work was carried out with the objective of establishing a bank of sugarcane mother plants under semi-controlled conditions to guarantee the efficiency of in vitro propagation with plants free of Xanthomonas albilineans. A greenhouse was modified and the structure was remodeled, a Sarán shade mesh (50%) and a sprinkler irrigation system were placed. The plants were grown in plastic containers (20 m3 volume) with a mixture of cachaça compost and zeolite 3:1. Stems of cultivars C98-357, C97-445 and C86-156, without symptoms of leaf scald and with six months of culture, were cut into segments with a bud. Hydrothermal treatment was applied and subsequently the biostimulant VIUSID Agro® (0.8 ml l-1) before the buds planting. At three months of culture, a serological diagnosis was made to detect the presence of X. albilineans. The negative plants were treated with biostimulants and the response of the in vitro establishment was evaluated. Adequate plant growth was achieved under the conditions described. The establishment of a bank of sugarcane mother plants under semi-controlled conditions and its management guaranteed that microbial contamination and phenolic oxidation decreased in the in vitro establishment phase. The effectiveness of the hydrothermal treatment combined with the semi-controlled conditions and the management of the plants make it possible to reduce the incidence of X. albilineans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]