IN VITRO MORPHOGENETIC RESPONSES OF Dioscoreophyllum cumminsii (Staph) Diels EXPLANTS TO GROWTH REGULATORS

ABSTRACT

Dioscoreophyllum cumminsii is a plant of utmost importance because it is very rich in unsaturated oil and is a potential natural sweetener in food and food industry. Propagating the plant through seeds poses a challenge due to the problem of seed dormancy. Therefore, the research was conducted to produce a protocol for D. cumminsii in in vitro propagation. This involves the use of two sterilants to take care of contaminants and determine the growth regulators that will support the in vitro propagation of D. cumminsii. The sterilants used were HgCl2 and NaClO and the growth regulators utilized were NAA, BAP, and Kinetin for two initiations. The sterilants (HgCl2 and NaClO) were used serially for 1 and 2 minutes and 2 and 4 minutes respectively for the two initiations. Twenty-five cultures were inoculated in the 1st initiation, where 24 survived survived and 1 culture was contaminated. However, out of the fifty cultures inoculated in the 2nd initiation, 27 survived but 23 cultures were contaminated. The healthy cultures derived from healthy medium were used to determine suitable growth regulators for callogenesis. This study, indicated that the use of HgCl2 + NaClO for 1 and 2 minutes respectively helped to reduce contamination while sterilization for a longer period destroys cells of explants leading to contamination. However, NAA and Kinetin showed more response to callogenesis where NAA and BAP showed little or no response. This research is expected to enhance the in vitro propagation of D. cumminsii seeds using sterilants and growth regulators.