Effects of Benzylaminopurine on in vitro Proliferation and Shoot Growth of Okra [Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench]

Okra is an important crop belonging to the Malvaceae family. This vegetable has significant nutritional, medicinal and economic importance. However, its consumption and production in Algeria remain very low due to limited seed availability and insufficient valorization in research programs. This study aimed to propagate okra in vitro through micropropagation at the proliferation stage. This method enables large-scale plant multiplication in a small space while ensuring protection and preservation of genotypes.

The Micropropagation of Abelmoschus esculentus through shoot proliferation was carried out on Murashige and Skoog medium and several benzylaminopurine concentrations were tested (0.0, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 and 4.0 mgL-1), the shoot explants were cultured for one month in a growth room under a temperature of 27°C±1 and a photoperiod of 16 h/8 h light/dark. The proliferated shoots were aseptically excised then cultured on Murashige and Skoog medium without plant growth regulator for root induction. After rooting, plantlets were acclimated and then transferred to the greenhouse.

The best shoot proliferation was obtained in the medium supplemented with 2.0 mgL^-1 of BAP. This medium provided the best results in terms of quality of shoots and multiplication rate. Frequent successive subcultures on the same medium allowed lthe elimination of phenolic compounds.