Establishment of Efficient Regeneration System from Leaf Discs in Long Pepper an Important Medicinal Plant Piper longum L.
Cultivation of Piper longum L. till recently was not very common; still it is extensively collected from the wild, threatening the very existence of the plant. Hence, it is alarming that there is an urgent need not only cultivate this plant but also develop conservation strategies. Conventional propagation is overwhelmed with problems of poor seed viability low percentage of germination, scanty and delayed rooting of vegetative cuttings indicating there is a need for alternative propagation methods. In vitro technique is an alternative approach to solve the problem. Therefore, the current research was aimed at developing a promising in vitro mass propagation protocol for Piper longum L. using leaf as explant. Murashige and Skoog medium was used throughout the experiment. For callus induction, MS medium supplemented with alone or in combination of IAA (1 to 2 mg/l) and BAP (1 to 2 mg/l) were used. Shoot induction was undertaken on MS medium supplemented with different concentrations and combinations of Kinetin and BAP (1 to 3 mg/l) Emerged shoots were transferred onto elongation medium supplemented with 2 mg/l Zeatin and 1 mg/l GA3. In vitro rooting was achieved on 1/2 MS medium+NAA 1 mg/l. Accordingly, the highest calli were induced on MS+1 mg/L IAA+1 mg/L BAP. Among the various treatments, the maximum percentage (91.50 3.54) in vitro shooting was observed on MS+2 mg/L BAP+1 mg/L Kinetin. In vitro rooted shoots were successfully acclimatized in the greenhouse conditions. Therefore, it is possible to deduce that the current protocol is promising for in vitro mass propagation of Piper longum L. to solve the reproduction and cultivation problem of the plant.