Conservation of an endemic medicinal plant, Anaphalis eliptica DC. by employing plant tissue culture technique

Abstract

The plant species, Anaphalis elliptica DC. (Asteraceae) is a medicinal herb endemic to high hills of Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, the Western Ghats. The in vitro propagation study of this species by using leaf, node and shoot tip explants, revealed the following results: Among the three explants used, leaf and node responded well for callus and shoot initiations respectively. The leaf explant produced callus effectively (91%) in the MS medium supplemented with BAP and NAA at 2.5 and 0.3 mg/l respectively, whereas the nodal explant produced higher amount of shoots (92%) in the basal medium containing the growth regulator, BAP alone at 3.0 mg/l. The leaf derived callus produced higher (80%) shoot initials and shoot multiplication in the MS medium augmented with BAP and NAA at 3.0 and 0.5mg/l respectively. Similarly, the in vitro nodal derived shoots produced higher shoot multiplication (87%) in MS medium supplemented with BAP at 3.0mg/l. The regenerated shoots of both the explants were successfully rooted on MS medium supplemented with IBA and NAA at 1.0mg/l each. After sequential hardening the leaf callus derived plantlets registered higher survivability rate (80%) in the hardening medium containing decomposed coir waste, perlite and compost in the ratio of 1:1:1 by volume. Similarly, the survivability rate of nodal derived plantlets was higher (84%) in the hardening medium composed by vermicompost and soil in the ratio of 1:1 by volume.