International Journal of Applied Agricultural Research

Shoot tips and nodal segments excised from in vitro Manihot esculenta cultivar. were seeded singly into culture tubes containing 15ml of cassava multiplication medium gelled differently in 0.2% gelrite (Control I), 0.7% agar (control II) and in 7% starch from three different cassava varieties viz: TMS 97/0162, 92/0323, and TME 419 Cultures were maintained at 28°C ± 2 illumination and 16h photoperiod (30–40μmole m⁻² S⁻¹) supplied by white fluorescent tubes on shelves for four weeks. Percentage survival ranged from 90–100% for shoot tips while nodal segments ranged from 42.86–100%. Plantlets from gelrite –gelled medium performed best in terms the height, number of leaves and nodes, it was not significantly different (p<0.05) from those of TME 419 starch- gelled medium especially with the shoot tip explants. The result highlights the potentials of cassava starch from the genotype TME 419, as an alternative to agar or gelrite as a gelling agent for in vitro multiplication of cassava.