Clonal Propagation of Anogeissus sericea var. nummularia- A Rare Tree of Arid Forestry

Abstract

Season for collection of the explant, nature of the explant, different antioxidants [ascorbic acid (AA) and citric acid (CA), activated charcoal (AC)] and additives [L-arginine (Arg) and adenine sulphate (AS)] profoundly influenced in vitro propagation of 25-30 year-old selected trees of Anogeissus sericea var. nummularia King ex. Duthie (Combrettaceae). Axillary shoots developed from nodal cuttings having 3 or 4 axillary buds on Murashige and Skoogs's (MS) (1962) medium containing 0.56 μM indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), 11.0 μM benzylaminopurine (BA) along with 50 mg l_1AA, 25 mg l_1AS, 25 mg l_1Arg, 25 mg l_1 CA and 0.1% (w/v) AC. Increase in the number of shoots from the nodes was achieved by repeated transfer of the explants onto fresh initiation medium devoid of AC. Multiplication of shoots were done by subculturing shoots which has two or three nodes after removing their shoot apices onto MS medium containing 0.56 μM IAA, 6.6 μM BA, 50 mg l_1AA, 25 mg l_1AS, 25 mg l_1Arg and 25 mg l_1 CA. High frequency rooting (97%) was obtained by pulse treating the isolated shoots with 98.0 μM indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) for 6 hours in half-strength liquid MS medium and then transferring these shoots onto half-strength hormone free semisolid MS medium. The plantlets were hardened and acclimatized by transferring to autoclaved soilrite moistened with one-fourth strength liquid MS mineral salts in glass bottles and then to soil mixture containing sandy soil, black soil and pond soil (1:1:1 v/v). One thousand plants were hardened and transplanted to their natural habitats. All the plants transferred to field survived.