MICROPROPAGATION OF PHARMACEUTICAL CROP RUBIA CORDIFOLIA

Plants are cherished as the chief resource for healthcare products attributed to synthesizing diverse array of bio-molecules through various metabolic alterations. Over exploitation of such resources can intimidate its existence. Developing medicinal plants into crops and the use of micropropagation as technique to mass produce high-demand biomass can make a continuous supply of natural therapeutic products. Rubia cordifolia is one such plant, so an improved, efficient, reproducible and reliable in vitro clonal propagation protocol is to be adopted for the conservation of germplasm. MS medium fortified with phytohormons viz., BA, Kin, 2-iP, TDZ, mT, IAA, IBA and NAA singly or in combinations were used for the study. After one month of inoculation, 2.5 μM of BA and TDZ (9.37) endorsed the instigation of multiple shoots through axillary bud proliferation in a short span of time. In vitro produced microshoots were subjected to ex vitro rooting by treating 2.5 mM IBA for 5 min and planting in plastic pots containing potting mixture, to produce maximum rooting (79.17%) response. It was found to be an efficient and effective mode of rooting, since it combines both hardening and rooting. Under green house condition, all the rooted plantlets showed more than 90% survival. So direct regeneration protocol from nodal explants without the intervention of callus and thus ensure production of clonally uniform plants of R. cordifolia.