Articles
OPTIMIZATION OF PROTOCOLS FOR THE IN VITRO MULTIPLICATION AND CONSERVATION OF ACORUS CALAMUS, AN ENDANGERED MEDICINAL PLANT
Article number
865_3
Pages
37 – 41
Language
English
Abstract
A. calamus L. is a critically endangered (FRLHT, 2000), semi-aquatic plant of temperate and sub-temperate regions. A. calamus, from the family Araceae, has been valued for its rhizome and fragrant oils, which is being used medicinally to cure diarrhoea, dysentery, digestion, abdominal obstruction and colitis.
For rare, endangered and threatened (RET) species that are in decline, in situ conservation may not give adequate support.
Biotechnology supports ex situ conservation programs, besides complementing conventional methods, have the potential to broaden the genetic base in species demanding high priority. Acorus calamus rhizome has been used to initiate aseptic cultures, which is a pre-requisite for in vitro conservation.
The sterile explants were cut to appropriate size and inoculated into Murashige and Skoog medium (MS full strength and half strength concentration) with and without Naphthylacetic acid (NAA) and Benzylaminopurine (BAP). The explants that responded were transferred into MS medium with BAP and NAA for multiplication and into Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium devoid of growth regulators for medium-term storage (under standard culture conditions). These cultures were incubated at 26±2°C with 31.55 µm-2s-2 light intensity.
For in vitro growth studies, parameters observed include number of shoots, shoot length, number of roots, made at intervals of 1 month, 3 months and 6 months, to establish sub-culture frequency and storage period.
Rooted vitro plantlets were hardened successfully using Soilrite, which was found to be the best hardening medium, with ca. 99% success.
In vitro established cultures of Acorus calamus were relocated to chambers having reduced light and temperature conditions (reduced temperature of 10°C and reduced light of intensity of 2.97 µm-2s-1) to study the effect of storage.
Protocols developed for large-scale propagation and in vitro conservation will be discussed.
For rare, endangered and threatened (RET) species that are in decline, in situ conservation may not give adequate support.
Biotechnology supports ex situ conservation programs, besides complementing conventional methods, have the potential to broaden the genetic base in species demanding high priority. Acorus calamus rhizome has been used to initiate aseptic cultures, which is a pre-requisite for in vitro conservation.
The sterile explants were cut to appropriate size and inoculated into Murashige and Skoog medium (MS full strength and half strength concentration) with and without Naphthylacetic acid (NAA) and Benzylaminopurine (BAP). The explants that responded were transferred into MS medium with BAP and NAA for multiplication and into Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium devoid of growth regulators for medium-term storage (under standard culture conditions). These cultures were incubated at 26±2°C with 31.55 µm-2s-2 light intensity.
For in vitro growth studies, parameters observed include number of shoots, shoot length, number of roots, made at intervals of 1 month, 3 months and 6 months, to establish sub-culture frequency and storage period.
Rooted vitro plantlets were hardened successfully using Soilrite, which was found to be the best hardening medium, with ca. 99% success.
In vitro established cultures of Acorus calamus were relocated to chambers having reduced light and temperature conditions (reduced temperature of 10°C and reduced light of intensity of 2.97 µm-2s-1) to study the effect of storage.
Protocols developed for large-scale propagation and in vitro conservation will be discussed.
Publication
Authors
P.E. Rajasekharan, B.S. Ravish, T. Vasantha Kumar
Keywords
RET, Acorus calamus, in vitro conservation
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