PLANT CELL BIOTECHNOLOGY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

Berberis manipurana Ahrendt (Berberidaceae) is an endemic and threatened natural dye yielding and medicinally plant of North Eastern region of India. Present study reports the in vitro regeneration protocol of this species from in vivosourced nodal segments. Uni-nodal segments collected during January were cultured on two nutrient media (MS and WP) conjunct with glucose and sucrose, antioxidants (citric acid and PVP) and PGRs (BA and KN) at different concentrations. Within 15 days of culture, 54.5% morphogenic response was registered from nodal segments cultured on WP medium supplemented with sucrose (3%), PVP (100 mg L^-1) and BA (6 µM) where as many as 4 shoot buds developed per node. The micro-shoots proliferated on WP medium conjunct with sucrose (3%) and BA + NAA (9 + 3 µM) in combination where as many as 6 micro-shoots developed per sub-culture in ~61.9% culture and average height on of micro-shoot was 4.8 cm. The well grown micro-shoots were rooted on WP medium enriched with IBA (9 µM) supported healthy rooting of ~52% of micro-shoots where as many 4 roots resulted per micro-shoot. The rooted regenerates were hardened on ½WP medium supplemented with sucrose (2%, w/v) and without any PGRs and maintained in normal laboratory condition for 5-6 wk. Hardened plantlets were transplanted in poly bags containing soil, sand, decayed wood powder at 2:1:1 ratio and maintained in the shaded poly-house where ~62% transplants survived after two months of transfer.