EFFECT OF PLANT GROWTH REGULATORS ON MICROPROPAGATION OF Morinda officinalis How.

Abstract

In this study, the effect of plant growth regulators on micropropagation of Morinda officinalis through nodal explants was investigated. The results showed that Murashige and Skoog medium supplemented with 1.5 mg/L benzyladenine (BA) combined with 0.25 mg/L kinetin (KIN) was a suitable medium for the rapid multiplication of shoots. On this medium, the number of shoots was 4.1 shoots per nodal explant after 4 weeks of culture. For rooting, indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) was a more suitable auxin than naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) because of the formation of callus at the base of the cultured shoots on media using NAA. At the concentration of 0.5 mg/L IBA, the maximum rate of rooting explants, number of roots per explant, and average height were 100%, 6.2 roots/explant, and 5.8 cm after 6 weeks of culture, respectively. The plantlets were acclimatized in the greenhouse with a 93.3% survival rate after 4 weeks. These results contribute to the development of a stable micropropagation protocol of M. officinalis, which can be successfully used for the production of plantlets for the medicinal plant market in Vietnam as well as for the conservation of this important medicinal plant.