Chitosan as a growth stimulator of moringa (Moringa oleifera L.) under in vitro conditions

Abstract

This study was conducted with the aim of moringa tree propagation in the presence of chitosan and some growth regulators using tissue culture technique. The stem nodule explants of moringa tree were cultured on Murashige and Skoog medium supplemented with different combinations of benzyl adenine (0.5, 1, and 1.5 mgL-1) and chitosan (0, 5, and 10 mgL-1) in addition to naphthalene acetic acid at a constant concentration of 0.2 mgL-1 for shoot proliferation. Rooting formation on the formed shoots was investigated using different concentrations of Naphthalene acetic acid (0.5, 1, and 1.5 mgL-1). The results showed that the medium supplemented with 5 mgL-1 chitosan had a significant increase in the response of the stem nodule to the shoot proliferation (78.22%) and shoot numbers (5.12). On the other hand, supplementing the medium with 1 mgL-1 benzyl adenine led to a shoot proliferation response of 68.33% and 4.91 shoots per explant. The combination of 5 mgL-1 chitosan and 1.5 mgL-1 benzyl adenine resulted in the highest response to the proliferation of shoots (91.33%). While the combination of 5 mgL-1 chitosan and 1 mgL-1 benzyl adenine resulted in an increased shoot production with 6.73 shoots per explant. The rooting medium supplemented with 1.5 mgL-1 naphthalene acetic acid was significantly superior in terms of shoots response to root formation (71.70%), number of roots per explant (6.67), and root length (3.50 cm). The current results highlight the advantages of including chitosan in the proliferation and rooting medium of moringa.

Keywords

• chitosan
• moringa
• shoot proliferation
• benzyl adenine
• naphthalene acetic acid