Micropropagation of Bael [Aegle marmelos (L.) Corr.] – An Indigenous Medicinal Fruit Tree of India

A protocol for micropropagation of bael [Aegle marmelos (L.) Corr.] was developed. Bael (family Rutaceae) is an indigenous medicinally important fruit of India. The nodal explants of 30 year old tree were used to initiate cultures. Two cytokinins, viz., 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) and kinetin (Kn) were used in varied concentration (0.1–2 mg/l) for shoot multiplication. BAP (2 mg/l) was found better than Kn, where a 3-fold increase in the number of shoots was recorded in 4 weeks. A synergistic influence of cytokinin and auxin was also observed in the present study. A combination of 0.5 mg/l BAP and 0.1 mg/l IAA induced the formation of maximum number (4.5) of shoots (2.5 cm). For rooting of in vitro shoots, different auxins, namely, NAA, IAA and IBA (0.1–2 mg/l) were tested. IAA (0.01 mg/l) was found better than NAA and IBA. It was concluded that elite cultivars of bael can be micropropagated, without undergoing callus phase, using the BAP (0.5 mg/l) plus IAA (0.1 mg/l) for shoot multiplication and IAA (0.1 mg/l) for rooting, to produce true-to-type in vitro plants. The in vitro raised plantlets were acclimatized with 30% success.