High-frequency Shoot Multiplication and In Vitro Plantlet Regeneration from Shoot Bud Explants in Curcuma zedoaria Roscoe

A rapid and efficient micropropagation protocol was developed for Curcuma zedoaria, using shoot buds as explants. Explants established on basal MS medium were transferred to 12 different medium compositions with different combinations and concentrations of plant growth hormones 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP), kinetin (Kn), and thidiazuron (TDZ). The best shoot multiplication was recorded in MS medium supplemented with BAP (2.0 mg L-1) and TDZ (1.5 mg L-1), resulting in 5.3 +/- 0.24 shoots of per explant and shoot length of 6.12 +/- 0.19 cm. For the best in vitro root induction, the aseptic shoots excised from the culture flasks and inoculated individually on MS medium supplemented with 1.5 mg L-1 indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) resulted in 74.2% root growth and 8.82 +/- 0.31 roots per explant. Although callus induction was observed in MS containing 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2, 4-D) and 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA), the highest callus proliferation was observed with MS and NAA (2.0 mg L-1). Micropropagated plants established on soil showed 83% survival on acclimatization to the field conditions.