Abstract
A simple but unique protocol was developed for root production and clonal propagation of Piper longum L. (pippali), an important medicinal plant of India. Roots and shoots were induced in apical and basal petiolar halves of leaf using auxins. Average root number, root length and survival of rooted leaf cuttings were not significantly affected by type of auxin and leaf cuttings. Highest number of roots (13.40), root length (9.65 cm), rooting behaviour (91.69%) and survival of rooted cuttings (83.33%) were recorded in petiolar leaf cuttings treated with indole 3-butyric acid (IBA)/naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) (1000 ppm each). The petiolar leaf cuttings treated with IBA/NAA showed significantly higher percentage of shooting (83.33). The shoot number (2.0 per cutting) was also significantly highest in IBA/NAA treated leaf cuttings. Pippali can be regenerated via leaf-cuttings, either without hormone treatment, or for better results by using low concentrations of IBA or combination of IBA and NAA hormones. Production of planting material using leaf can substitute traditional propagules such as sucker, vine cutting, etc. Key words: Auxins, indole 3-butyric acid (IBA), medicinal plants, naphthalene acetic acid (NAA), vegetative propagation.
Highlights
Piper longum L., an unisexual perennial climber with woody roots belonging to the family piperaceae is distributed throughout India
The type of auxins applied and leaf cuttings used had no relationship with number of roots developing out of plant (p>0.05) (Tables 2 and 3)
The percentage of leafcuttings producing root was impacted by all four treatments (T0- Control, T1 - indole 3-butyric acid (IBA) (1000 ppm), T2- naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) (1000 ppm), T3- IBA (1000 ppm) + NAA (1000 ppm)
Summary
Piper longum L. (long pepper, pippali), an unisexual perennial climber with woody roots belonging to the family piperaceae is distributed throughout India. The principal pharmacological constituents are piperine and piplartine. The crude extract of P. longum contains 3-8% of piperine (James, 1999). Collection of roots from wild habitats and deforestation has made this plant species a threatened taxon. As the plants are extracted from its natural habitat for use in drug formulation, the species has become very rare in the forests of Kerala (Nair, 2000). P. longum is propagated through seeds, suckers or cuttings or by layering of mature branches at the beginning of rainy season. Conventional propagation is beset with problems of poor seed viability, low percentage of germination and scanty or delayed rooting of vegetative cuttings. There is a need to explore alternate propagation methods (Sarasan et al, 1993)
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