Studies on factors influencing node culture establishment during <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">in vitro</i> shoot multiplication from mature<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"> Schleichera oleosa </i>(Lour.) Oken tree

Abstract

102-109Schleichera oleosa (Lour.) Oken is a preferred tree-host of kusmi form of lac insect, Kerria lacca, which produces superior quality lac resin of commercial interest. Very low success rate of clonal multiplication of this tree is one of the major bottlenecks for supply of quality planting material for lac cultivation. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">In vitro multiplication of axillary buds although promise to produce large-scale clones of high-yielding lac hosts, establishment of aseptic node culture is one of the critical steps in standardization of micropropagation from mature S. oleosa plant. The seasonal influence on bud emergence, heavy microbial contaminations and phenolic exudations are the important factors observed in the present study that limits the establishment of axillary bud cultures in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">S. oleosa. Predominant fungal and bacterial contaminants were identified through morpho-cytological and DNA sequence analysis. The Murashige and Skoog’s (MS) medium with 1.0 mg/L  BAP and 1.0 mg/L silver nitrate showed best (83.33±13.61%) shoot initiation. Sub-culturing and elongation of the proliferated microshoots were possible on filter-paper-bridge soaked in liquid MS medium with 0.5-1.0 mg/L BAP, instead of agar-gelled MS media. Rooting of the axillary bud-derived shoots continued to be the major hurdle to achieve success in developing micropropagation protocol in S. oleosa. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"> </span