Turmeric Cv. Salem is the popular cultivar of turmeric growing in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. The demand for planting of this cultivar is huge and tissue culture technology ensures the mass production of a large quantity of disease free true-to-type plants from a single parent plant. The present study was carried during the year 2017-18 to standardize the tissue culture protocol for turmeric to obtain aseptic tissue culture plantlets. Surface sterilization of the explants was effectively achieved by HgCl2 treatment with 0.10% for 15 minutes as it resulted in highest culture establishment (59.99%) with minimum bacterial and fungal contamination. Among the different treatments used for shoot proliferation, MS medium fortified with BAP 2mg/l and IAA 0.2mg/l gave significantly maximum response (94.44%). Maximum in vitro rooting (91.17%) were observed with ½ strength MS medium containing IBA 2mg/l. The rooted plantlets were hardened for 25 days under polytunnel with different media.

Although the history of P. kurrooa Royle ex Benth., popularly known as “Kutki or Kadu” dates back to the Vedic era, it has only been about 69 years since research has focussed on exploring its pharmacological properties. It is a small perennial medicinal herb that belongs to the Scrophulariaceae family. Found primarily in the north-western alpine Himalayan region at the altitudes of 3000-4300 meters (amsl), the plant has immense therapeutic and medicinal properties. Uniquely gifted, the plant holds its reputation in the modern system of medicine in the treatment of liver disorders. The species has earned an endangered status lately due to various issues like unawareness on its conservation, harvesting methods, and cultivation besides others. Therefore, various new scientific methods are being developed for its propagation and conservation. This article provides an overview of the therapeutic properties, various mode of propagation as well as the molecular aspects of P. kurrooa. Also, the metabolic engineering strategies to modulate its secondary metabolite picrosides are also discussed.