Improved in vitro rooting and acclimatization of Jatropha curcas plantlets

An improved protocol has been developed for micropropagation of Jatropha curcas to obtain quality planting material on large scale. To obtain improved shoot growth, rooting and acclimatization of in vitro plants, multiplication medium was modified. Shoots multiplied in Murashige and Skoogʹs (MS) medium containing 15 mg dm−3 each of l-glutamine and l-arginine along with 50 mg dm−3 Augmentin® and 15 mg dm−3 coconut water (CW), besides 0.5 mg dm−3 benzyladenine (BA), 0.1 mg dm−3 indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) and 10 mg dm−3 adenine sulphate (AdS), rooted well under in vitro conditions. The addition of 15 mg dm−3 coconut water from green coconut in the multiplication medium, produced healthy shoots with broad leaves, resulting in improved rooting of 85% as against 52% reported earlier. The use of Augmentin® in the medium not only controlled bacterial contamination, but also resulted in better survival and growth of plants during hardening. These rooted shoots – plantlets – were acclimatized in the soilrite with 100% transplant success where they grew vigorously under nethouse conditions.