Efficient in vitro Plant Regeneration Via Multiple Shoots from Cotyledonary Nodal Explants of Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) Cultivars Swetha (ICCV-2) and Annigiri

High frequency in vitro plant regeneration via multiple shoots is reported here from cotyledonary nodal explants of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) cultivars Swetha (ICCV2) and Annigiri on MS culture medium supplemented with 6-benzyladenine (BA). The explants used were cotyledonary node (the portion that remains and retains the axillary meristems after the cotyledons are cut away). Four-day old aseptic seedlings of the chickpea cultivars were used for harvesting the explants needed for plant regeneration experiments. Regeneration frequency varied with age of explant source and concentration of BA. Explants produced shoot-buds and shoots within 2 weeks. The explants harvested from 4-day-old seedlings produced higher number of shoots (24–26) in Swetha (ICCV-2) than Annigiri (12–15). Histological studies confirmed the adventitious nature of shoot buds. Shoots were rooted on MS medium supplemented with 0.5 mg/l indole butyric acid (IBA). The plantlets, hardened and transferred to soil with 70% survival developed normal flowers and viable seeds. This efficient plant regeneration protocol can be used for genetic transformation to produce transgenic chickpea.