IN VITRO SHOOT REGENERATION FROM SHOOT TIP AND NODAL SEGMENT EXPLANTS OF POGOSTEMON ERECTUS (DALZELL) KUNTZE, A MULTIPURPOSE ORNAMENTAL AQUATIC PLANT

Pogostemon erectus (Dalzell) Kuntze (Lamiaceae) is an economically important aquatic plant and is widely used as aquarium vegetation due to an attractive appearance. This present study was designed for efficient in vitro multiple shoot regeneration and plant production of P.erectus through shoot tip and nodal segment explants. The explants were cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 0.25-1.25 mg/L Kinetin (KIN) with or without 0.25 mg/L 1-Naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA). Maximum number of shoots per explant was obtained from shoot tip (22.61) and nodal segment (24.44) explants cultured on MS enriched with 1.00 mg/L KIN + 0.25 mg/L NAA. The highest shoot length was recorded from shoot tip (5.64 cm) and nodal segment (5.13 cm) explants cultured on MS medium containing 1.00 mg/L KIN or 1.25 mg/L KIN respectively. In vitro rooting of regenerated shoots were achieved on MS medium containing different concentrations of IAA (0.25-1.00 mg/L) during 4 weeks and these rooted plantlets were successfully acclimatized in aquarium. The improved protocol may help to the mass propagation of P. erectus and other aquatic plants for commercial purposes.