Development of An Efficient Protocol for Rapid Propagation of Curculigo orchioides Using Leaf Explant Culture
Curculigo orchioides is one of the most common medicinal plants used by diverse cultures and tribal groups. The roots of the plant are used medicinally in Asian countries. Curculigo orchioides have the ability to regenerate through seeds and tubers, but the regeneration rate is low. Plant tissue culture method was believed to have potential for rapid multiplication of this medicinal plant. An efficient protocol for rapid propagation of Curculigo orchioides, of the family Amaryllidaceae, was developed using leaf explants culture. The leaf explants (1 cm x 1 cm squares) cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal medium were supplemented with various concentrations and combinations of auxins and cytokinins with temperature 25 ± 2°C, relative humidity 85-90% and photoperiod of 12 hours light (2000-3000 lux). Callus induction was obtained within 4 weeks, 2,4-D at 3 mg/l formed profuse callus and the degree was found to be the highest (+++) among all the treatments. The best response to shoot induction, with maximum shoot number 5.33 (mean number of shoots per explant) was obtained using 1.0 mg/l 6-benzyl aminopurine (BAP) in combination with 1.0 mg/l Kinetin. In vitro shoots were induced for rooting on 0.5 mg/l of NAA supplemented medium. In order for seedlings propagated in vitro to adapt to natural conditions, plants were growned on a substrate coir: husk ash: sand (with the ratio of 0.5: 0.5: 1) in a greenhouse (humidity: 70%, temperature: 28-300C) gave 88.33% survival rate after 8 weeks of culture. With the results received, this is an effective approach to propagating Curculigo orchioides.