Department of Biotechnology, University of Gauhati, Guwahati 781 014, Assam, India
*Corresponding author: E-mail: mckalita@sify.com
Abbreviations: BAP, 6-benzylaminopurine; NAA, α-naphthalene acetic acid; Kn, kinetin; IAA, Indole-3-acetic acid.
Two species of Curcuma (C. caesia and C. zedoaria) have been propagated through tissue culture using rhizome bud explant. The best response for shoot multiplication was obtained on MS basal medium supplemented with 4 mg l−1 BAP and 1.5 mg l−1 NAA for C. caesia (3.5 ± 0.79 shoots per explant) and 1 mg l−1 BAP + 0.5 mg l−1 NAA for C. zedoaria (4.5 ± 0.15 shoots per explant). A maximum of 9.2 ± 0.15 and 8.9 ± 0.09 roots per explant were obtained for C. caesia and C. zedoaria, respectively when MS was supplemented with 0.5 mg l−1 IAA. The rooted plants could be established in soil.
rhizome bud, clonal propagation, Curcuma caesia, Curcuma zedoaria
