Morphological Changes and Survival Rate of Colchicine Treated Centella Asiatica (L.) Urban.

Centella asiatica, commonly known as Gotu Kola, is a valuable medicinal plant with a rich history in traditional medicine. Present study was undertaken to investigate study efficacy of colchicine as a chemical mutagen to induce desirable morphological changes in C. asiatica. For this purpose, various concentrations of colchicine (0.1 - 0.5%) were applied topically to the of stolons of Centella asiatica for four hours at room temperature. Three different application methods were tested: immersion of running shoot tips, direct application to the stolon, and application to the stolon’s basal part. Immersion of running shoot tips proved to be the most effective method for inducing morphological variations. Colchicine, applied at the concentration of 0.2% for four hours resulted into significant morphometric changes with reasonable survival rate. This treatment resulted increases in plant height, leaf size and thickness, petiole length, internode length, seed yield, leaf yield, leaf weight, and flower bud yield per unit area. The treatment also influenced leaf colouration. Survival rates significantly varied with the concentration of colchicine used for treatment.