Abstract

EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE ON IN VITRO ORGANOGENESIS OF RHODIOLA IMBRICATA EDGEW. – A MEDICINAL HERB.

Shubham Sharma#, Devanshi Popli, Neha Sharma, O. P Chaurasia, Hemant Sood*

ABSTRACT

R. imbricata has been used to enhance productivity of work, physical fitness, life expectancy and to treat haemorrhage, asthma, impotence and tackling various ailments of gastrointestinal tract in traditional and Unani medicine system. Various pharmacological activities in R. imbricata viz. hepatoprotective, radioprotective, immunomodulatory etc., are attributed to presence of different phytochemicals such as p-tyrosol, salidroside, rosavin and rosin. Owing high medicinal importance, problems in field propagation, native of trans-himalayan region prompt us to carry out establishment of axenic cultures and micrpropagation of R. imbricata which could be used for the production of secondary metabolites of medicinal importance through cell cultures studies. In this study, 10 different media combinations having different concentrations of 6-Benzylaminopurin (BAP), Indole-3-butyric acid (IBA), Kinetin (KN), Gibberellic acid (GA3) and Thidiazuron (TDZ) were tested for callus induction, shoot regeneration from calli, direct shoot organogenesis along with shoot multiplication and rooting. In vitro rooted shoots were hardened under greenhouse conditions. Callus initiation and indirect shoot regeneration was found highest in MS media containing BAP (1 mg/L) and IBA (2 mg/L), while using MS media supplemented with cytokinins like BAP (1 mg/L) and KN (2 mg/L) has led to direct shoot formation and proliferation under in vitro conditions. In vitro root induction was observed in MS media supplemented with BAP (2 mg/L) and IBA (4 mg/L) within 25 – 30 days. In vitro rooted plantlets showed survival rate of 75 - 80 % after hardening in greenhouse conditions. This study will generate large amount of in vitro plant raw material which could be used for conservation, propagation and secondary metabolites biosynthesis for meeting the demand of pharmaceutical industries.

Keywords: Rhodiola imbricata, regeneration, micropropagation, MS media, callus initiation.