Rapid Propagation from Hypocotyl and Shoot Tip Explants of Sterculia foetida Linn

Sterculia foetida Linn. is a large deciduous tree belonging to Sterculiaceae. Seed of S. foetida is used for treating skin diseases and rheumatism also can be used as a source of alternative bioenergy and medicine. The main problem of S. foetida cultivation is the limited supply of seed plants. Seeds development were very easy, but to produce fruit have to wait for approximately 5 years. The objective of this research was to obtain kepuh plants through direct in vitro regeneration. Hypocotyls and shoot tips explants were excised from sterile germinated seedlings and placed on shoot induction medium containing basal salts of Woody Plant Medium (WPM) and various concentrations of plant growth regulators. The results showed that the best medium of shoots elongation were WPM + 1 mgL-1 kinetin + 5 mgL-1 GA3. Highest percentage of roots (65%) occurred on WPM with 5 mgL-1 IBA which average number of roots was 3.1. Rooted plantlets were acclimatized to field conditions by placing them in pots containing sterilized and compost medium (1:1) and subsequently transferred to filed with 80% survival. 