Journal of Plant Biochemistry and Biotechnology

We describe here the development of a micropropagation protocol for mass multiplication of Zantedeschia aethiopica by using root tubers as explant. The surface sterilized root tubers produced five to six shoot-buds on semi-solid Murashige and Skoog's (MS) medium with 10.0 mg l⁻¹ of 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) and additives (50.0 mg l⁻¹ of ascorbic acid; 25.0 mg l⁻¹ each of adenine sulphate, L-arginine and citric acid). The cultures were multiplied by sub-culture of individual shoot bud produced in vitro and clumps of shoot buds generated in vitro in cultures on MS medium containing 3.0 mg l⁻¹ of BAP and additives. Further multiplication of propagules was achieved through tuber formation along with amplifying shoots on MS medium with 5.0 mg l⁻¹ of BAP. The micropropagated shoots were rooted both in vitro as well as ex vitro. Cent percent of the cloned shoots rooted in vitro within 15–18 days on hormone-free ½ strength MS salts with 200.0 mg l⁻¹ of activated charcoal. Alternatively 95–100% shoots rooted ex vitro under greenhouse conditions on soilrite after pulse-treatment with 500.0 mg l⁻¹ of Indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) or β-naphthoxyacetic acid (NOA) for 300 sec. The cloned plants were hardened in the greenhouse. The hardened plants were transplanted to soil for further acclimatization.