IN VITRO PROPAGATION OF AN ENDANGERED MEDICINAL PLANT ASPARAGUS RACEMOSUS

Biotechnology

Asparagus racemosus Wild (Asparagaceae) is an endangered medicinal plant of tropical and subtropical India. Its medicinal usage has been reported in the Indian and British Pharmacopoeias and in traditional systems of medicine such as Ayurveda, Unani and Siddha. Over exploitation coupled with inadequate cultivation and unsatisfactory attempts for its replacement, the wild stock of this species has been markedly exhausted and now it is listed as threatened species. Hence, there is an urgent necessity to safeguard this germplasm, and plant tissue culture has proved helpful in conserving threatened plant species. In this direction, in the present study, an efficient protocol was developed for callus induction and plantlet regeneration from nodal explants of Asparagus racemosus. Well-organized plant regeneration was achieved on MS medium containing different concentrations and combinations of growth regulators. MS medium supplemented with BAP 1.5 mg/l and KN 1.5 mg/l was effective for regeneration response.

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