In Vitro Propagation of <i>Aconitum violaceum</i> Jacq. ex Stapf through Seed Culture and Somatic Embryogenesis
Abdul Hadi,
Seema Singh,
Shah Rafiq,
Irshad A. Nawchoo,
Nasir Aziz Wagay,
Eman A. Mahmoud,
Diaa O. El-Ansary,
Hanoor Sharma,
Ryan Casini,
Kowiyou Yessoufou,
Hosam O. Elansary
Affiliations
Abdul Hadi
Plant Tissue Culture and Research Laboratory, Department of Botany, University of Kashmir, Srinagar 190006, India
Seema Singh
Plant Tissue Culture and Research Laboratory, Department of Botany, University of Kashmir, Srinagar 190006, India
Shah Rafiq
Plant Tissue Culture and Research Laboratory, Department of Botany, University of Kashmir, Srinagar 190006, India
Irshad A. Nawchoo
Plant Reproductive Biology, Genetic Diversity and Phytochemistry Research Laboratory, Department of Botany, University of Kashmir, Srinagar 190006, India
Nasir Aziz Wagay
Department of Botany, Government Degree College, Baramulla 193101, India
Eman A. Mahmoud
Department of Food Industries, Faculty of Agriculture, Damietta University, Damietta 34511, Egypt
Diaa O. El-Ansary
Precision Agriculture Laboratory, Department of Pomology, Faculty of Agriculture (El-Shatby), Alexandria University, Alexandria 21545, Egypt
Hanoor Sharma
Microbiology and Immunology Department, Wright State University, Dayton, OH 45435, USA
Ryan Casini
College of Public Health, University of California, 2121 Berkeley Way, Berkeley, CA 94704, USA
Kowiyou Yessoufou
Department of Geography, Environmental Management, and Energy Studies, University of Johannesburg, APK Campus, Johannesburg 2006, South Africa
Hosam O. Elansary
Plant Production Department, College of Food & Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
Aconitum violaceum Jacq. ex Stapf is a threatened medicinal plant with restricted global distribution. The highest frequency of seed germination was recorded on Murashige and Skoog’s (MS) basal medium, supplemented with 0.5 mg L−1 kinetin with a germination rate of 77.32% and mean germination time of 27 days. Among the various plant growth regulators examined, 0.1 mg L−1 kinetin (Kn) + 0.5 mg L−1 indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) proved to be effective for maximum embryogenic callus production (51.0%) within 31 days of inoculation. The conversion rate of somatic embryos into complete plantlets was highest in the MS medium augmented with 0.1 mg L−1 Kn + 0.5 mg L−1 IAA (68.00%), with an average root initiation time of 25 days. The rooted plantlets were subsequently hardened into jiffy pots with a combination of loamy soil, coco-peat, and vermicompost (1:1:1 v/v), and then transplanted into a greenhouse with a 60% survival rate. To our knowledge, this is the first study on direct in vitro propagation and embryogenic callus induction from seeds. The established regeneration protocol could be employed to propagate A. violaceum on a large scale in a short time. This would contribute significantly to its rapid propagation and germplasm conservation, and establish a framework for the domestication of this highly valued threatened medicinal plant.
