Induction of adventitious roots from leaf explants of Morinda coreia Buch. and ham. : an important dye yielding plant

Abstract

The present communication reports, induction of adventitious roots (AR) from the in vitro raised leaves of Morinda coreia as affected by auxins and their varying concentrations. The roots of this plant possess anthraquinone, a preferable natural dye, explored well in pharmaceuticals. The AR from the leaves were induced under light and dark conditions within 5 weeks on half-strength Murashige and Shook’s (MS) medium. Among the various auxins and their concentrations tested, half-strength MS medium augmented with indole-3 butyric acid (IBA) at 4.0 mg/L was recorded most favorable in induction of AR (0.7997 gm fresh weight and 0.0698 gm dry weight) with negligible callus under dark conditions. The present study aimed to analyze the combined effect of light/dark and auxins on the induction of AR from the in vitro raised leaves of M. coreia. The protocol can be used for large scale proliferation of roots and enhanced production of dye (anthraquinones). An effective protocol has been developed to induce adventitious roots from the leaves of M. coreia to provide a continuous supply of roots to be used as standard material.