Abstract

IN VITRO MASS PROPAGATION OF BACOPA MONNIERI (LINN.) WETTST FROM NODAL EXPLANT - A MULTIPURPOSE MEDICINAL PLANT

T. Nagarajan*, S. Alagumanian, G. Jahirhussain, S. Subbaiya

Abstract

Bacopa monnieri is a highly valuable medicinal plant from the Scorphularaceae family. It is used to derivate different pharmaceutical products, but it lost from their natural habitats due to indiscriminate collection for pay pharmaceutical demands. Therefore, the present study was carried out to determine the in vitro mass propagation of Bacopa monnieri (Linn.) Wettst. by using nodal explants. Nodal explants of Bacopa monnieri were cultured on MS basal medium supplemented with different concentrations of BAP and KIN ranging from 0.5-2.5 μM/L for multiple shoot induction. Two cytokinins tested, BAP was found to develop in shoot multiplication and higher number of shoots from the nodal explants when compared to KIN. Higher number of shoot was produced from all the concentrations of both BAP and KIN. The highest frequency (100%) of shoot induction and maximum number of shoot (6.4±1.94) was observed on 2.0 μM BAP with shoot length of 5.02±0.20 c.m. as well as in KIN the highest frequency (100%) of shoot induction and maximum number of shoot (5.4±1.51) was observed on 1.5 μM KIN with shoot length of 5.14±0.28 c.m. The isolated shoots were transferred to MS basal medium supplemented with different concentrations of IBA and NAA for root induction. The rooted plantlets were successfully transferred in soil through hardening and established in the field.

Keywords: In vitro, Mass propagation, Bacopa monnieri, BAP, KIN.