The most common method of vegetative propagation of virus free plantlets is the use of shoots meristem culture in solid medium culture. This study was to investigate the effect on liquid medium culture for the growth of virus-free sweetpotato plantlets. Single-nodes derived from meristem culture of sweetpotato was examined in this experiment and three sweetpotato varieties ‘Singeonmi’, ‘Sinhwangmi’, and ‘Sinjami’ was used. The growth of plnatlets was greater in liquid medium culture than that of solid medium culture after longer incubation in 3 varieties. The total fresh weight of 5 week old plantlets after planting in solid culture were 2.17 g (‘Singeonmi’), 2.49 g (‘Sinhwangmi’), and 2.18 g (‘Sinjami’), but the fresh weight in liquid medium culture was 3.87, 3.88, and 3.35 g, respectively. Leaf number of ‘Singeonmi’ and ‘Sinjami’ plantlets after 5 weeks of liquid medium culture was 21.1 and 22.6, respectively and liquid medium culture showed 3 and 6.2 more leaf number than that of solid medium culture. Plant height of ‘Sinhwangmi’ and ‘Sinjami’ plantlets after 3 weeks of liquid medium culture was 4.1 cm and 3.4 cm, respectively, and liquid medium culture showed 1.1 cm longer stem length than solid medium. Overall, liquid medium culture of sweetpotato plantlets was more effective than solid medium in terms of leaf and stem growth.

The effect of transplanting and harvesting dates on growth, yield, and quality of sweetpotato varieties was studied. Three sweetpotato varieties, Yulmi, Singeonmi, and Dahomi, were transplanted on 23 Apr., 21 May, 5 June, 15 June, 25 June, 5 July, 15 July, and 25 July. Fresh vine weight and marketable storage root yield of the three varieties were the highest in transplanting plots on 23 April and 21 May, respectively, and those tended to decrease when transplanting dates were late after May. GDD (Growing Degree Days) and cumulative radiation seemed to be related to marketable storage root yield. Number of marketable storage root per plant, average weight of marketable storage root, and marketable storage root yield were significantly different according to transplanting dates. Marketable storage root yield showed significantly positive correlations with fresh vine weight, number of marketable storage roots, and average weight of marketable storage roots. Hardness and dry matter content of storage root showed significantly positive correlations with starch content and decreased with late transplanting dates in Yulmi and Singeonmi varieties. Pasting temperature showed significantly positive correlations with soluble solid content, dry matter content, and amylose content, but it showed significantly negative correlations with breakdown. Setback was significantly different among varieties, but it was not significantly different in transplanting dates.

apical meristem using Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation method. The plant expression vector used in the studycontained GUS gene and NPTI for selection under the control of CaMV35S promoter. Transformed calli and plantlets wereselected on G