Simultaneous Shoot Regeneration and Rhizogenesis of Wedelia Chinensis for in Vitro Clonal Propagation

This abstract describes a method for in vitro clonal propagation of Wedelia chinensis (Family: Asteraceae), a medicinal plant used by traditional medicinal practitioners of Bangladesh. This plant is used in the traditional medicinal system of Bangladesh for hepatic disorders, coughs, cephalagia, skin diseases, dyeing and promoting hair growth, cancer, and also during uterine hemorrhages and menorrhagia. Explants (shoot tips and nodes) from field grown plants were collected and treated with 0.1% HgCl2 for surface sterilization. Sterile explants were cultured onto Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium containing different concentration of auxins, cytokinins and gibberellic acid. Tips were sprouted and regenerated on MS medium fortified with BAP (1.0 mg/l) and had an average length of 1.19 cm. [BAP (2.0 mg/l) + IAA (1.0 mg/l)] when used with MS medium showed the best response (100%) on shoot elongation. Simultaneous shooting and rhizogenesis (2.68 roots/shoot) was obtained when explants were cultured in [MS + BAP (1.0 mg/l) + NAA (1.5 mg/l)]. Shoot proliferation was obtained with profused lateral budding in [MS + BAP (1.5 mg/l) + GA3 (0.5 mg/l)]. Auto-rooting (16 roots/shoot) with vigorous shoot growth was observed in the same medium. The rooted plantlets were successfully established in earthen potted media after proper hardening and acclimatization. After eight weeks of transplantation more than 70% plants survived and no morphological variation was observed with the donor plants. This method of clonal propagation could reduce the cost and time of plantlet production of this species.