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Online ISSN : 2349-8080 Issues : 12 per year Publisher : Excellent Publishers Email : editorinchiefijcrbp@gmail.com |
Stevia rebaudiana is a medicinally important herb belongs to Asteraceae family. It is highly important in anti-diabetic treatments due to sweet taste with zero calorific value. Stevia is a natural alternative source to traditional sugar (sucrose) obtained from sugarcane and sugar beet. The aim of this research was to develop a protocol for mass production of this important medicinal herb for commercialization. The experiments were carried out to develop an in vitro culture technique for the mass propagation of Stevia rebaudiana using shoot tips and nodal segments in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD). Explants were collected from 10 weeks old mother plants maintained in shade house conditions. Surface sterilized explants were cultured on MS (Murashiege and Skoog) medium for culture establishment. Established shoot tips and nodal segment explants were transferred to MS medium containing different concentrations and combinations of BAP, Kinetin and NAA. The highest plantlet proliferation was observed in the MS medium supplemented with 0.2 mg/L NAA, 0.5 mg/L BAP and 1 mg/L Kinetin after 6th week of ex-plant establishment. Rooting was observed in the MS medium supplemented with 0.5 mg L-1 of IBA and 0.2 mg L-1 IAA leading to a successful plantlet regeneration with well-developed shoots and roots that are ready for acclimatization. Highest survival percentage (90%) was observed using coco-pellet as a substrate under high humid conditions.
