Abstract
Yams (Dioscorea) are well known for their medicinal use as well as nutritional values. Dioscorea plants are rapidly vanishing from nature due to their over-exploitation by human beings. In order to conserve Dioscorea plants, the present investigation was carried out with a view to regenerate plantlet of Dioscorea alata L. through in vitro culture using full strength Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) with and without sucrose. Nodal vine segments of D. alata were used as explants and nodal segments were cultured on MS (Murashige and Skoog’s) medium supplemented with different concentrations of auxin (IAA) for axillary bud proliferation. Best shoot proliferation was observed in MS medium containing 1.5 mg/L kinetin + 2 mg/L IAA with highest rate of shoot multiplication (average of 9.90 shoots/explants). Micro shootlets were inoculated in half strength MS basal medium supplemented with different concentrations (0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5 and 3.0 mg/L) of IAA and best rooting was observed in medium supplemented with 2.5 mg/L IAA with highest root length (8.14 cm). Regenerated plants were transplanted in hardening medium containing Brick bats + Charcoal + Dried moss + Leaf molds + Soil in 1: 1: 1:1:1 proportion. Maximum survival percentage was observed as 85 to 87% after one month of transfer in hardening medium. This work proposes an economic technique for the conservation of D. alata. Key words: Yams, Dioscorea alata L., in vitro culture, growth regulators.
Highlights
Nodal vine segments of D. alata were used as explants and nodal segments were cultured on MS (Murashige and Skoog’s) medium supplemented with different concentrations of auxin (IAA) for axillary bud proliferation
Micro-propagation of various plant species including many medicinal plants have been described by many authors during the last two decades (Skirvin et al, 1990)
Nodal segments of D. alata were cultured on MS media supplemented with auxin (IAA); within 7 to 9 days (Table 1) axillary bud proliferated (Figures 1 to 4) in culture media supplemented with indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) (2 mg/L)
Summary
Dioscorea alata L. is an important tuber crop and is a staple food for millions of peoples in tropical and subtropical countries (Edison et al, 2006). In the present investigation an attempt was made to cultivate D. alata L. in vitro using minimum number of growth regulators, so that the plant can be regenerated in mass for general use as well as commercial exploitation in minimum cost. Effect of indole acetic acid (IAA) on shoot and root initiation was studied It was noticed from review of literature, many workers propagated D. alata using growth regulators kinetin, benzyl aminopurine (BAP), naphthalene acetic acid (NAA), indole butyric acid (IBA) but effect of IAA was not investigated; so this work was done to explore this ground
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