MASS PROPAGATION OF LUNUMIDELLA Melia dubia USING INVIVO AND INVITRO CULTURE METHODS

Abstract

Lunumidella (Melia dubia) is a fast growing short rotational tree species which can beharvested in 15-20 yrs. The timber is light and mainly used for ceilling and panelling.However due to the presence of a hard seed coat and limited period of viability planting ofLunumidella has become a problem.Therefore investigations were carried out with the objective of finding suitable propagationtechniques using invivo and invitro culture methods. Shoot tip culture method was carriedout using axillary buds and nodel segments taken from plant materials brought from theDodangolla University farm and kept under the running tap water for 2 hours. Thensurface sterilization was done using 10%. Naocl containing 2 drops of teepol/ 100mlsolution for 10 mts. in sterilized conditions. They were then washed with distilled water 3times for 2 min. each and transferred into Mureshige and skoog medium (MS) containingdifferent concentrations of cytokinins.The best medium to grow Lunumedella invitro was 112 strength Ms Agar medium with thesupplement of 1.0 mg/I SAP.In vivo methodsDifferent pretreatment methods were adopted to overcome the poor germination due to thehard seed coat by using acid treatments, base treatments, heat treatments and mechanicalscarification. Seeds were treated with 98% H2 S04 for different time periods; 1 mt, 5 mts.,IOmts, 15 mts, 30mts) and then soaked in water for 24 hours and planted them in polybags in the plant house.Likewise the same procedure was carried out with base Ca(OH)2 and KOH (ash).The best pretreatment method for Lunumidella was acid pretreatment method. In this casethe germination percentage was 40%.