Indian Journal of Genetics and Plant Breeding (The)

Bunium persicum (Boiss.) B. Fedtsch. called Blackzira, is one of the economically important members of the Apiaceae family with a tuberous root. Its production is restricted by seed dormancy and long juvenile time. The present study was conducted to determine the best media among MS, WPM, B5, DCR and the optimum concentration of sucrose for in vitro micro-tuberization of Black Zira. The results showed the highest mean of the root length (4.5196 cm), tuber length (1.175 cm), tuber width (0.3575 cm), tuber diameter (4.1 mm), and tuber weight (0.1472 g) which was achieved in the WPM medium. The 6% sucrose concentration showed the best micro-tuber diameter (7.675 mm), and weight (0.2687 g). Therefore, the WPM was recognized as the best medium for Balck Zira’s micro-tuberization. The newly developed protocol might be an efficient in vitro propagation method for tuber induction in order to accelerate Black Zira’s mass propagation. It can also be the first step of artificial seeds production in the breeding program of B. persicum, a long-life cycle medicinal plant that is hard to propagate.