Planta Med 2010; 76 - P8
DOI: 10.1055/s-0030-1251770

Development of a Protocol for in vitro Micro Propagation of Celastrus paniculatus Willd. – A Threatened Medicinal Plant

MAN De Silva 1, WTPSK Senarath 2, KSS Sugathadasa 1
  • 1Botany Division, Bandaranaike Memorial Ayurvedic Research Institute, Nawinna, Sri Lanka
  • 2Department of Botany, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Nugegoda, Sri Lanka

Celastrus paniculatus Willd. (Family: Celastraceae) is the only representing species of this genus in the Sri Lankan flora [1] and is reported as a highly threatened species in the list of threatened fauna and flora of Sri Lanka [2]. The seeds provide valuable medicinal oil, which is reported to sharpen the memory and cure a number of diseases. Seed germination is low and other vegetative propagation methods have a low success rate. The objective of this study was to develop a successful protocol for the in vitro mass propagation and to study the growth and physiology of greenhouse established tissue cultured plants.

Nodal segments shoot tips and leaf pieces were used as explants and cultured in Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with different combinations of growth regulators. It was observed that MS medium with 5.0µM 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) and 7.0µM indole-3-acetic Acid (IAA) was the best medium for callus induction. Both shoot tips and nodal segment explants induced shoots in MS medium with 10.0µM BAP and 14.0µM IAA. Multiple shoots were produced in MS medium supplemented with 5.0µM BAP and 0.5µM IAA. Highest rooting percentage (73.3%) was obtained in MS medium with 5.6µM IAA and 9.6µM Indole-3-butyric Acid (IBA). Rooted plants were acclimatized in different potting mixtures and river sand: top soil: compost (1:1:1) gave the highest survival rate (80.0%). Rate of photosynthesis and the stomatal resistance of in vitro produced plants increased with the time indicating that tissue cultured plants can adapt to a natural environment. Growth of the acclimatized plants had a sigmoid pattern of normal growth in the greenhouse. References: [1] Wadhwa, B.M. (1996) Celastraceae in Revised Handbook to the Flora of Ceylon Vol. 10: 81. eds. M.D. Dassanayake and W.D. Clayton. [2] IUCN Sri Lanka (2000) The 1999 list of threatened fauna and flora of Sri Lanka. Colombo: IUCN Sri Lanka, Viii, 114.