Elucidating the role of different culture media on in vitro plant regeneration of Valeriana jatamansi Jones ex Roxb. an economically important Himalayan medicinal plant species. Dataset

We hypothesized that different basal media and plant growth regulator combinations would significantly influence the in vitro regeneration of Valeriana jatamansi and that biochemical attributes would vary between in vitro-derived and field-grown plants. To test this, we conducted experiments using a completely randomized design with nodal explants cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) and Gamborg’s B5 media supplemented with different concentrations of BAP + IAA and IBA. We recorded data on shoot number, leaf number, root number, and root length, while also analyzing key biochemical parameters including carotenoids, soluble sugars, starch, antioxidant activity, and free amino acids in both field-grown and tissue-cultured plants. All data were statistically analyzed using two-way ANOVA followed by DMRT at p ≤ 0.01. Our results clearly showed that Gamborg’s B5 medium was superior for shoot proliferation, producing the maximum number of shoots (3 ± 0.81) and leaves (11.33 ± 4.71) at 2.0 mg L⁻¹ BAP + 0.5 mg L⁻¹ IAA, whereas MS medium performed better for rooting with the highest root number (35.66 ± 9.8) at 4.0 mg L⁻¹ IBA and longest roots (4.33 ± 0.94 cm) at 3.0 mg L⁻¹ IBA. Field-grown plants exhibited higher levels of carotenoids, soluble sugars, starch, and antioxidant activity, while in vitro plants recorded significantly higher amino acid content (5.44 ± 0.08 mg g⁻¹ FW). These findings indicate that B5 medium is more suitable for rapid and efficient micropropagation of V. jatamansi, providing a reliable protocol for large-scale multiplication and conservation of this threatened Himalayan species. Although biochemical profiles differ slightly between the two growing conditions, the in vitro plants maintain acceptable medicinal quality. Other researchers can directly use the optimized media compositions and PGR concentrations reported here to reproduce or further improve the protocol.