Abstract

In vitro propagation of Ceropegia thwaitesii Hook (Asclepiadaceae), an endemic plant species of Western Ghats, Tamil Nadu (India), was carried out. Auxiliary bud explants were cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium fortified with cytokinins (KIN), 6-benzyl adenine (BA), 2-isopentenyladenine (2-iP) and thidiazuron (TDZ) in various concentrations and in combination with auxins indole-3-butyric acid (IBA), indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and naphthalene acetic acid (NAA). High frequency of shoot bud proliferation and multiplication was observed on KIN (13.94 µm) + IAA (28.54 µm). Rhizogenesis was observed on MS medium supplemented with IBA 2.46 µm and plantlets produced through micropropagation were hardened with the survival success of 73.33%. The efficient Micropropagation regeneration protocol developed would aid ex situ conservation of this endemic species.

Key words: Ceropegia thwaitesii, in vitro propagation, Asclepiadaceae, plant growth regulators, micropropagation