High Frequency Axillary Bud Multiplication of Caralluma stalagmifera C.E.C. Fischer- A Medicinal Plant

Objective: The objective of the present study was to develop a protocol for micropropagation of the medicinal plant Caralluma stalagmifera (Asclepiadaceae) from nodal explants. Methods: Nodal explants of field grown plants were cultured on MS medium supplemented with BAP, 2-iP, GA3 and auxins NAA, IAA and IBA. The regenerated shoots were rooted on half strength MS medium supplemented with IAA, IBA and NAA. They were acclimatised in plastic cups with polythene covers and then transferred to field. Results and Conclusion: Axillary bud proliferation with a mean of 8.47 shoots/node was achieved when the explants were grown in an optimized Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium which were supplemented with the phytohormones BAP (2.0 mg/l) + 2-iP (2.0 mg/l) + NAA (0.5 mg/l). When the node segments grown in vitro were excised and cultured in a medium supplemented with the same concentration of the plant growth hormones that were used for the growth of the Axillary buds, more than 15 shoots developed in 30 days. Consecutive excision and culture of nodes grown in vitro greatly augmented the number of shoots which emerged as well as shoot elongation when the concentration of the growth hormones used in the MS medium was BAP (2.0 mg/l) + GA3 (1.0 mg/l). Highest number of roots was observed when half strength MS medium enriched with NAA (0.5 mg/l) was used. Hardening process of the rooted plants was achieved in polycups having equal proportions of sterile peat mass, farmyard manure and soil, which resulted in a survival rate of 70%