Plant Tissue Cult. & Biotech. 15(2): 167-175, 2005 (December)

Bacopa monnieri (L.) Pennell: A Rapid, Efficient and Cost Effective Micropropagation

B. Chaplot Binita, M. Dave Ashok and T. Jasrai Yogesh

Agribiotechnology Laboratory, GSFC Science Foundation, Vigyan Bhavan, Vadodara -391750 Gujarat, India

Key words: Bacopa, Brahmi, Leaf culture, Micropropagation, Medicinal plant

Abastract

An efficient and cost effective protocol is described for rapid and large scale in vitro propagation of the valuable medicinal herb, Bacopa monnieri (L.) Pennell by bud proliferation on nodal segments, young leaves, internodes and shoot tips isolated from field-grown mature plants. This was achieved on MS solid and liquid medium with 1.1 ?M BA and 0.2 ?M IAA within three weeks of inoculation. Normally, the axillary nodes gave rise to seven - eight shoots. In addition to this, each leaf gave rise to a large number of shoot buds (110 shoots) from all over the surface, while internodes gave rise to a clump of shoots (28 shoots). The solid medium was more effective for bud proliferation from the leaf while the liquid medium proved more suitable for axillary nodes and internode explants. Axillary buds located at middle level nodes (4 - 7 from shoot tip) were found to be more promising and resulted in direct multiplication of about eight shoots. Elongation of shoots and subsequent root induction were achieved on the same proliferation medium only. On an average, within a period of three subcultures, different explants like leaf-, node- and internode explants generated 12100, 49, 784 shoots, respectively thereby favoring the economics of the cost of the materials and time factors. The regenerated plants resembled the mother plants in general habit without any morphological variation. HPLC analysis of the regenerated shoots revealed a phytochemical profile similar to that of the market sample and mother plants. A reproducible, very simple - one step procedure for in vitro propagation of Bacopa monnieri has been established. This protocol can be used to generate foundation stocks of elite planting material for large scale cultivation.

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