A protocol for rapid in vitro propagation from nodal explants of the medicinal tree species Aegle marmelos (L.) corr. of family Rutaceae has been described. High frequency bud break were induced on Murashige and Skoog's (1962) basal medium supplemented with 0.5 mg benzyladenine (BA)/l. After 10 days of culture, nodal explants with multiplied buds started callusing with restricted growth and defoliation. When the same nodal explants ware transferred into the same basal medium supplemented with 0.5 mg BA/l with different concentrations of either kinetin (KN) or gibberellic acid (GA 3 ) or in combinations has shown healthy shoots with expanded shoot length. Excised shoots (2 cm -3 cm long with 2 to 3 nodes) when grown on 1/2 MS basal medium with 2.5 mg/l indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) and 0.5% activated charcoal (A.C.)/l has shown rhizogenesis. After excision, in the second passage, the nodal explants also showed bud break when sub cultured on MS basal medium supplemented with 0.5 mg BA/l. These shoots also successfully rooted on the same above said medium.

Medicinal plants possess unlimited and untapped wealth of chemical compounds with high drug potential which make these plants useful as sources of biomedicines. The rising demand for herbal medicines in the organized manufacturing sector has ruthlessly exploited the wild growing plant population those have bulk use. So for high rate multiplication of different medicinal plants, it is necessary to standardize the protocol for high regeneration. The efficiency of any regeneration is primarily depends on factors like type of explants used, composition of the medium and type of genotype. Here, we have developed a regeneration protocol of Desmodium gangeticum (L.) DC (Salparni, Fam- Fabaceae) a medicinal plant through axillary bud multiplication. Nodal explants from Desmodium gangeticum plants were cultured on Murashige and Skoog's basal medium with Kn or BA at different concentrations. 0.5 mg L(-1) BA in the medium, showed shoot multiplication. Regenerated shoots measuring 3 cm or more were excised and planted on semi solid basal medium supplemented with varying concentrations of either IAA or IBA for induction of rooting. IBA treatment at 1.0 mg L(-1) was the best eliciting 100% rooting response. The in vitro propagation protocol standardized can be highly useful in raising quality planting materials of Desmodium gangeticum for commercial plantation programmes and germplasm conservation.