Development of a mathematical model for vegetative propagation: Simulated sweetpotato cutting production as affected by propagation methods and environmental conditions

A simple mathematical model was developed for vegetative propagation to predict the number of cuttings after a given number of repetitions of the production cycle, and the model was applied to sweetpotato micropropagation. Model parameters were determined based on the leaf development rates as affected by different propagation methods. Simulated results showed that shoot-hedging, a propagation method in which the stock plantlets are maintained for serial harvest of microcuttings (cuttings) in the same vessel without being transferred, was an efficient method for maximizing production in a given period of time, compared with the conventional method, in which the stock plantlets are discarded after harvesting the cuttings. However, it was also shown that the shoot hedging method did not always provide a higher production per occupied area. The developed model was shown to be applicable for expressing the vegetative propagation process and to predict the number of propagules produced by different propagation methods under different environmental conditions.