Micropropagation and in vitro polyploidisation of Siphonochilus aethiopicus (wild ginger) and its effect on selected horticultural characteristics

Siphonochilus aethiopicus (wild ginger) is one of only several thousand plant species used in traditional medicinal preparations in South Africa.
The plant is threatened with extinction and is already extinct in the wild in the KwaZulu-Natal Province and is increasingly threatened in the Mpumalanga Province where small populations are reported to exist.
The cone-shaped rhizomes and fleshy roots are extremely popular and are widely used in traditional medicines which include treatments for asthma, hysteria, colds, coughs and flu, as well as malaria, amongst others.
Due to the unsustainable wild harvesting of this species, efficient in vitro micropropagation and acclimatization protocols were developed in efforts to conserve the species.
Furthermore, using the aforementioned protocols, induced polyploid selections were developed in vitro and verified using flow cytometry.
The effect of polyploidy on wild ginger with respect to selected horticultural characteristics was evaluated.

XXIX International Horticultural Congress on Horticulture: Sustaining Lives, Livelihoods and Landscapes (IHC2014): International Symposium on Micropropagation and In Vitro Techniques

K. Hannweg, G. Visser, A. Sippel, I. Bertling

Siphonochilus aethiopicus, tetraploidy, horticultural characteristics, micropropagation

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2016.1113.26