In vitro shoot Multiplication from Shoot Tip Explants of Cephalandra indica Naud: An Important Antidiabetic Medicinal Plant

An efficient plant regeneration protocol was developed for Cephalandra indica Naud. which is an important medicinal plant species threatened by over exploitation. Seeds were surface sterilized with 0.1% (w/v) mercuric chloride and aseptically germinated on growth regulator free MS medium. Shoot tips were excised from 20 days old seedlings and were cultured on Murashige and Skoog�s (MS) medium supplemented with different concentrations of BAP and KIN (0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 mg/l) for shoot bud proliferation. Highest frequency (82.7%) of shoot bud regeneration with 9.4 shoots/explant was observed on MS medium containing 2.0 mg/l of BAP. Of the two cytokinins tested, BAP was found to be best for shoot bud regeneration. For root induction, in vitro derived shoots were transferred to MS medium containing different concentrations of IBA/IAA (0.1-0.5 mg/l). The highest rooting frequency (99.4%) with maximum number of roots (9.6 roots/shoot) was observed on MS medium supplemented with 0.3 mg/l IBA. Multiple shoot induction and plant regeneration were achieved within 8 weeks of culture. In vitro regenerated plantlets were successfully transferred into soil where the survival rate observed was 75 %. Subsequently, acclimatized plants were shifted to the field condition for further growth. The present paper describes a protocol for rapid in vitro propagation of Cephalandra indica using shoot tip explants.