Abstract
Begonias are ornamental indoor plants and also cultivated for landscaping. Begonia malabarica Lam., found naturally in the hilly regions of South India and Sri Lanka called by the tribals as Narayana Sanjeevi, i.e. possess miraculous therapeutic properties. The present study targets in vitro culture, field establishment and evaluation of its genetic uniformity using anatomical, molecular markers followed by callus induction and establishment of cell suspension. Explants such as shoot tip and leaves from in vitro germinated seeds were cultured on Murashige-Skoog medium. Maximum callus induction was obtained in Murashige-Skoog medium with 0.3 mg L–1 2, 4-D + 0.5 mg L–1 BAP, i.e. 90.8 ± 2.8% with 2.5 ± 0.1 g callus growth. In vitro suspension of cells and their growth rate were also analysed. RAPD and ISSR experiments were carried to confirm the genetic fidelity among in vitro and in vivo plants. Twelve RAPD and seven ISSR primers raised 119 amplicons. Genomic DNA amplification showed similarity between the in vivo and the in vitro generated plantlets. The overall results revealed the uniformity of the in vitro raised B. malabarica plantlets in terms of histoanatomical genetical features and substantiated the assumption that in vitro micropropagation is the secure mode for mass propagation of true to type plants without any somaclonal variations.
Highlights
The commercial mass production of indoor plants is a growing interest among horticulturist
The present study provides a standardised protocol for micropropagation and establishment of cell suspension, thereby giving an initial step for the cost effective production of anthocyanin from friable callus of B. malabarica
In vitro germination of seeds were achieved successfully on half strength MS medium with 0.5% agar + 0.5% sucrose without any plant growth hormones (96% of seeds cultured in half strength MS medium germinated within 20 days) (Fig. 1 a, b)
Summary
The commercial mass production of indoor plants is a growing interest among horticulturist. There is a high demand for ornamental plants in both domestic and international markets and was significantly increased over the last two decades (Jain 2002). The plants such as Begonia, Ficus, Anthurium, Chrysanthemum, Rosa, Saintpaulia, and Spathiphyllum were being micropropagated in large scale in the nurseries of developed countries. Many indoor horticultural species were mass micropropagated via plant tissue culture programmes. Chebet et al. Aswathy and Murugan (2003) analysed the application of in vitro culture with different growth regulators to enhance the quality and multiplication of plantlets from the shoot tip explants of Dendranthema morifolium
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
