<span style="font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:Mangal;mso-ansi-language:EN-GB; mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:HI" lang="EN-GB">Field Performance and genetic fidelity evaluation of micropropagated<i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"> morinda citrifolia </i>l.</span>

Abstract

An easily adoptable protocol was established for the micropropagation of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Morinda citrifolia</i> L., a medicinal and neutraceutical plant, through enhanced axillary bud proliferation from nodal explants. Nodal segments excised from 3-yr-old tree were cultured on agar gelled (0.7%) Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 18 µM N⁶-benzylaminopurine (BAP). It resulted in the production of maximum number (7.2 shoots/explant) of new shoots through axillary bud proliferation. Nodal segments derived from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">in vitro</i>-raised shoots were further subcultured on MS medium containing 18 μM BAP for every 6 wk interval to facilate shoot multiplication. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">In vitro </i>shoots were rooted by adopting a direct <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">ex vitro</i> rooting method. Shoots treated in 150 μM indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) for 30 min, followed by planting in pots containing soil, sand and vermiculite (1:1:1) produced 100% rooting and 87.5% survival<i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">. </i>This technique eased synchronized rooting and hardening process; accordingly reduced time, labour and resources, and thus can be used for large scale multiplication. Fully acclimatized plants (3-month-old) were planted in the field and monitored for its various attributes. Field evaluation studies by scoring 13 quantitative phenotypic characters and evaluation of genetic fidelity among the regenerants by random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) using 10 selected random primers revealed morphological and genetic uniformity of plants originated from a single mother tree.