Abstract

In vitro methods were widely used in the conservation of the threatened plants in recent years and it is clear that this trend is increasingly applied to more plant species facing risk of extinction. This study aimed to standardise a simple and proper micropropagation system for relic endemic plant species Arabis drabiformis by using shoot tip and internode explants. Shoot tip and internode explants were excised from 30 to 40 day old in vitro germinated seedlings and cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) media containing different combinations of benzylamino purine (BAP) and kinetin (Ki). MS medium supplemented with 2.0 ppm BAP was the most effective for shoot formation. Elongated shoots were successfully rooted in the MS medium that contained 0.5 ppm indole-3-butyric acid (IBA). Propagation and growth of plantlets under greenhouse condition were managed successfully.

Key words: Arabis drabiformis, in vitro propagation, shoot regeneration