Department of Botany, Bose Institute, Calcutta 700 009, India
*Corresponding author. Present Address: Biotechnology Laboratory, College of Agriculture, Central Agricultural University, Iroisemba 795 004, Manipur
Clonally propagated shoots of teak (Tectona grandis Linn) were cultured in vitro under photomixotrophic (sucrose 10–40 g I−1) and photoautotrophic (sucrose-free medium) conditions in MS medium containing kinetin and benzyl amino purine (0.1 mg I−1 each). Sucrose concentrations were gradually depleted in mixotrophic cultures. Growth and fresh weight of shoot chlorophyll a, b and total chlorophyll content of leaves were estimated. In sucrose-free medium, growth and chlorophyll synthesis decreased after limited period of 2–3 subcultures, whereas they got stimulated under photomixotrophic condition with 10–30 g I−1 sucrose; optimum being the medium with 30 g I−1 sucrose. Higher concentration of sucrose (40 g I−1) inhibited shoot growth. Shoots can tolerate gradual depletion of sucrose upto a limit of 5 g I−1 under mixotrophic condition.
Tectona grandis, shoot, photomixotrophic, sucrose, chlorophyll
