In vitro propagation study of physic nut (Jatropha curcas L.) through organogenesis and embryogenesis

Abstract

Plant species with rich secondary metabolites such as Jatropha curcas L. is difficult to propagate through tissue culture. Once established, tissue culture propagation supports uniform propagules supply. The objectives of the research were to obtain in vitro culture media for shoot induction through organogenesis and embryogenesis pathway. Three experiments were conducted. Plant materials used in the first experiment were cotyledon and hypocotyl from seed cultured in vitro, while in the second experiment were stem segments excised from young shoots of two month cuttings and leaves from cuttings grown in the greenhouse. In the third experiment embryo axis and cotyledon were used to obtain somatic embryo. The results of the first experiment showed that shoot induction can be obtained from both cotyledons and hypocotyls.However hypocotyls gave more shoots and leaves than cotyledons when cultured in MS + IAA 0.1 mg/l + BAP 3.0 mg/l. In second experiment, based on number of shoots and time of shoots initiation, MS+BAP 4.0 mg/l gave the highest number of shoots and earlier time of shoot initiation. However the highest number of leaves was given by MS+ NAA 0.5 mg/l + BAP 4.0 mg/l. In the third experiment, somatic embryos were obtained only from MS medium supplemented with picloram 1.0 mg/l for both embryo axis and cotyledon explants.