In vitro propagation of Pueraria tuberosa (Roxb. ex Willd.) DC.

Abstract

Pueraria tuberosa, commonly known as Indian kudzu or 'Vidari' is an important medicinal plant belonging to the family Fabaceae. The tubers of this plant are an important constituent in many Ayurvedic formulations as a restorative tonic, immune booster and antiageing. Annual demand of Vidari by the Ayurvedic industry is 135 tonnes and industry is facing a severe scarcity of this raw material. Micropropagation technology offers large-scale production of disease-free, quality planting materials for pharmaceutical industries. A successful protocol for the in vitro propagation of P. tuberosa has been achieved by using nodal segments as explants. Multiple shoot induction and proliferation was obtained in Murashige and Skoog medium supplemented with 0.5 mg.L -1 BAP, 0.5 mg.L -1 KN and 2% glucose. MS medium with 1.5 mg.L -1 KN favoured maximum shoot elongation. A maximum number of roots with the highest percentage of rooting was observed on half strength MS media supplemented with 0.5 mg.L -1 IBA. Elongated shoots in half strength basal MS medium induced roots in 14 days of culture. Regenerated shoots with well-developed roots were successfully hardened with 80% survival.

Effect of Biotic Elicitors on the Growth, Antioxidant Activity and Metabolites Accumulation in In Vitro Propagated Shoots of Pueraria tuberosa

“…Many empirical studies have focused on developing effective strategies to increase the concentration of bioactive molecules in Pueraria species [ 19 , 20 , 21 ]. Some researchers have reported improved accumulation of isoflavonoids by prioritizing macro- and micronutrients and precursors in the culture medium for P. tuberosa [ 22 , 23 , 24 ]. Goyal and Ramawat [ 25 ] reported a marked increase in isoflavonoids production in cell suspension culture of P. tuberosa by elicitation treatment with YE, methyl jasmonate, and salicylic acid.…”