Efficient in vitro shoot bud proliferation from cotyledonary nodes and apical buds of Moringa oleifera Lam.

Abstract

Moringa oleifera Lam. is a quick-growing tree species that has advantages for large-scale production including high yields, high nutrient contents, and diverse industrial applications. To assist such use, we have developed an efficient protocol for in vitro shoot bud proliferation from the plant’s cotyledonary nodes and apical buds. We also investigated the effects of the type of explants, various combinations of plant growth regulators and sucrose contents, and illumination intensity on the proliferation of both types of explants. The results showed that the most suitable tested medium for regenerating shoot buds from cotyledonary nodes was Murashige and Skoog (MS) basic medium supplemented with 1.0 mg/L 6-benzyladenine (BA) and 0.05 mg/L kinetin (KT). This yielded shoots from 66.7% of CNs, and 4.40 shoots per explant on average. In contrast, MS basic medium supplemented with 1.2 mg/L BA and 0.05 mg/L KT was the most suitable tested medium for regenerating shoot buds from apical buds, yielding shoots from 100% of the explants, with 4.13 per explant on average. In addition, increasing the sucrose content of the medium and illumination intensity inhibited their proliferation. MS medium with 0.02 mg/L α-naphthalene acetic acid was suitable for plantlet rooting. The efficient protocol based on these findings reported here may greatly facilitate industrial-scale in vitro generation of uniform seedlings and genetic improvement of the species.