An Efficient Protocol for Micropropagation of CalamuS Nagabettai

Shoot tips excised from one year old seedlings of Calamus nagabettai were inoculated onto Philips and Collins and Murashige and Skoog's media supplemented with various hormones to study their morphogenetic potential. Presence of 2-ip at 1mg/l in L2 medium promoted the initiation of about 23 shoot's from the cremish nodulated callus. The higher concentration of 2-ip above 2 mg/l resulted in the formation of the single shoot from the explants. Among the combinations of hormone tried, BAP (2 mg/l) with NAA (0.5 mg/l) induced about 25 shoots from the cultures. Thus obtained shoots were rooted on IAA (2 mg/l) supplemented medium. Somatic embryos were obtained from the callus derived from the basal portion of the regenerated shoots on L2 + NAA (2 mg/l). The conversion of the somatic embryos into the plantlets has obtained on the same medium. Induction of somatic embryogenesis from the callus cultures of C. nagabettai in the present studies is the first report. Thus obtained plantlets through organogenesis and somatic embryogenesis were sequentially hardened by transferring them first to vermiculite and perlite (1: 1) and then to soil and sand mixture. After acclimatization, three month old seedlings were transferred to field. Nearly 40 percent survival was recorded.