In Vitro Propagation of Bacopa monnieri L. - a Multipurpose Medicinal Plant

Abstract

We report the micropropagation of Bacopa monnieri L. a medicinal plant from Shervarayan Hills, Salem, Tamil Nadu, India. Effect of auxins (IAA, NAA&2, 4-D) and cytokinins (BA, KIN&TDZ) on shoot induction and IAA and TDZ on root induction were assessed. Callus induction on Murashige and Skoog's medium (MS) supplemented with NAA, 2,4-D and TDZ at various combinations/concentrations were also investigated. The auxiliary buds formed from both leaf and nodal explants on hormone free MS medium within 9 d. Growth hormones at different combinations brought out remarkable variations in shoot, root and callus induction. Rooted plantlets were transferred to 10 different soil mixtures with various ratio/combinations of biological and natural fertilizers such as humus rich soil alone (control), soil with vesicular arbuscular mycorrhizae (VAM) (10:1&10:2) soil with vermicompost (4:1&4:2) soil with farmyard manure (4:1&4:2) soil with flyash (1:1&1:2) and soil with agropeat (4:1&4:2) in sterile polythene bags. When the plantlets were transplanted to the actual field, this pre-adaptation increased their survival as much as 80-90% (observed for 45 days).