 BackResearch Article ScienceAsia 32 (2006): 031-037 |doi: 10.2306/scienceasia1513-1874.2006.32.031 Factors Effecting In Vitro Microrhizome Formation and Growth in Curcuma longa L. and Improved Field Performance of Micropropagated PlantsSanghamitra Nayak* and Pradeep Kumar Naik Department of Biotechnology & Bioinformatics, Jaypee University of Information Technology, Waknaghat, Solan 173 215, Himachal Pradesh, India. * Corresponding author, E-mail: sanghamitran@yahoo.com Received 15 Sep 2004, Accepted 15 Aug 2005
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number of buds per microrhizome varied from 1-4 and the weight varied from 50 mg to 580 mg. Factors
such as concentration of sucrose and BA in the medium, as well as photoperiod and their interaction, were
found to have a significant effect in the induction of microrhizomes. Sucrose was most effective in rhizome
formation, followed by photoperiod and BA in the medium. Microrhizomes were harvested after 120 days of
culture. These microrhizomes could be stored in MS media with a low concentration of BA (0.04mM) and in
moist sand at room temperature. Microrhizomes were produced in vitro independent of seasonal fluctuation,
and sprouted with roots and shoots in the potting soil and were then transferred to the field. Rate of sprouting
of microrhizomes was not affected by the amount of sucrose and BA in induction medium, but only by
duration of photoperiod in culture. Comparison of field performance of conventionally seed propagated and
micropropagated plants revealed relative improvement in rhizome yield of micropropagated plants of
Curcuma longa through in vitro induction of microrhizome.
