A reliable rapid protocol for characterization of in vitro totipotency in Spilanthes oleracea

Abstract

Spilanthes oleracea is an important medicinal herb and is also called ‘Toothache Plant’ or ‘Eye Ball Plant’. It is used to prepare herbal formulation to cure many diseases. Its property to heal the dental wounds can be exploited as an alternative to synthetic medicines used presently. An efficient protocol for in vitro shoot multiplication of Spilanthes oleracea has been developed from axillary bud explants. Nodal segments, from young plants, were taken as explants; shoot multiplication was induced on slightly modified Murashige and Skoog’s (MS) medium supplemented with 6- Benzyl amino purine, (BAP, 0.5 ppm) and Naphthalene Acetic Acid, (NAA, 0.1 ppm) and BAP (0.5 ppm) + Indole 3-Acetic Acid, (IAA, 0.3 ppm). Shoot proliferation could be induced using different combinations of BAP, IAA and NAA. Shoots were further multiplied through continued subculture of nodal segments with sprouted shoots. Micro-shoots were rooted in the basal medium supplemented with NAA (1.71 µM) alone and BAP (0.44 µM) + NAA (1.0 µM) concentration.) Survival of in vitro grown plantlets 2 months after transplantation in the pots, containing equal parts of sand and top soil, was found to be 97 per cent.

Keywords

• Axillary buds
• Conservation
• Micropropagation
• Multiple shoots
• Plant growth substances
• Spilanthes oleracea