Embryogenic Callus Induction of Aquilaira Malaccensis Lam . a nd Aquilaria Subintegra Ding Hou

Abstract

Aquilaria malaccensis Lam. and Aquilaria subintegra Ding Hou belong to the family of Thymelaeaceae which is commonly known as gaharu or agarwood. It is a commercially important tree and identified as a potential aromatic plant. The overwhelming responses in the lodging sector reduce gaharu species in the forest. Mass propagation through plant tissue culture technology will substitute this problem. The present study was conducted to investigate the embryogenic callus induction between these two species. The most optimum sterilization method for both species was sodium hypochlorite 5.0% which gave the highest percentage of aseptic culture (95%) with the absence of tissue browning. The leaves of both species were cultured on Murashige and Skoog, (1962) (MS) media supplemented with combination of various concentrations of 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) (0.5, 1.0, 2.0 and 2.5 mg/L) and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2, 4-D) (0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 mg/L) and kept under dark condition. The explants produced embryogenic, white and compact callus at the end cut of the explants after two weeks of culture in all treatments. The highest frequency of embryogenic callus formation was observed in explants cultured on 2.0 mg/L BAP and 0.5 mg/L 2,4-D for both species. From the present study, the optimum sterilization technique and embryogenic callus induction for A. malaccensis Lam. and A. subintegra were established.