Multiplication of Bharangi—Clerodendrum serratum (L.) Moon

Abstract

Aim: To develop effective in vitro multiplication protocol for rare and endangered medicinal plants of Clerodendrum serratum (L.) Moon. Materials and methods: Trials were carried out using nodal segments as explants, which were inoculated on Murashige and Skoog medium (MS) plain medium and different concentrations of phytohormones viz., benzylaminopurine (BAP), kinetin (Kn), indol-3-butyric acid (IBA), indol-3-acetic acid (IAA), and naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA), and incubated for 8 hours of photoperiod using cool- white fluorescent tubes with a light intensity of 3,000 lux at 22°C + 2°C. Results: The maximum (7.0 ± 0.045) numbers of shoots were developed from the nodal segment inoculated on MS fortified with BAP (4 mg/L) ± 0.1 % polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) with shoots of 1.72 ± 0.018 cm height. Auxin BAP at 4 mg/L proved to be effective for bud proliferation and production of multiple shoots. The best and early root induction was achieved on MS + IBA (1–4 mg/L). Conclusion: The developed in vitro protocol would be beneficial for the fast multiplication of bharangi plants and help to minimize the burden on supply and demand, so that the huge demand for the drug is fulfilled and also helpful to protect the plant.