This study was done to select suitable explants and low cost medium for plant regeneration of turmeric. Therefore, the different explants were excised from the aerial stems and rhizome buds and surface sterilized. The sterilized explants were cultured on MS medium fortified with 2.0 mg/l BAP. From the survived aerial stem explants, 0.5 cm long vertical half of the aerial stem explants exhibited somatic embryogenic response (69.7%). The highest morphogenic response (74%) of shoot bud initiation was observed from the top slice of the surviving rhizome bud explants. Further, Yara Mila complex fertilizer, which is an ideal granular fertilizer mixture, was used as an alternative to MS medium. Three different concentrations of Yara Mila complex fertilizer (1.0, 3.0, and 5.0 g/l ) supplemented with 2.0 mg/l BAP each were tested with the MS medium fortified with 2.0 mg/l BAP (control treatment) for in vitro establishment from aerial stem explants and top slice of the rhizome bud explants. Both explants were surface sterilized and cultured on MS medium and different concentrations of Yara Mila complex fertilizer fortified with 2.0 mg/l BAP. From the survived explants, aerial stem explants exhibited somatic embryogenic response (69.7%) and shoot bud initiation (74%) on normal MS media. The higher performances were observed in 1.0 g/l concentration of complex fertilizer incorporated medium with 51% embryogenic response from the aerial stem explants and 52.3% shoot bud formation response from the top slice of the rhizome bud. The cost of 1 kg complex fertilizer was Rs. 182. It could be concluded that complex fertilizer is a cost effective alternative medium for MS medium for in vitro propagation reducing the cost of the substituted ingredients by 99.87% in the tissue culture of turmeric.

La cúrcuma (Curcuma longa L.) es una importante planta medicinal perteneciente a la familia Zingiberaceae. Es una planta triploide estéril, pero es una planta herbácea vital principalmente debido a sus rizomas subterráneos que se utilizan para diversos fines debido a sus propiedades físicas y químicas. La cúrcuma se propaga vegetativamente a través de los rizomas, sin embargo, la tasa de multiplicación es baja. Por otro lado, las técnicas de propagación in vitro se están utilizando con éxito para la propagación masiva de especies de Zingiber directa o indirectamente a través de organogénesis o embriogénesis somática. La regeneración directa de plantas es el método deseado para regenerar plantas genéticamente estables. En la embriogénesis somática directa, las células somáticas se diferencian directamente en embriones somáticos que tienen estructuras bipolares. Los estudios sobre la embriogénesis somática directa de la cúrcuma son muy limitados, por lo tanto, esta revisión resume la comprensión actual de los diferentes aspectos de la embriogénesis somática de la cúrcuma y los principales factores reguladores que la afectan.