An efficient shoot regeneration system for medicinally important Elephantopus scaber Linn.

An efficient protocol for the rapid micropropagation of medicinally important Elephantopus scaber has been standardized using cotyledonary node explants. Direct multiple shoot induction was observed when the cotyledonary node explants at various age groups were cultured on MS medium supplemented with various plant growth regulators. The highest shoot induction was obtained when the cotyledonary node explants from 20-day-old seedlings were cultured on MS medium supplemented with 1.5 mg L-1 TDZ and 0.5 mg L-1 NAA. On this medium, 98% of the cultures responded, with an average number of 33.7 shoots per explant. The highest frequency of rooting (100%) and mean number of roots (3.3 per shoot) were observed when the shoots were transferred to MS medium supplemented with 1.0 mg L-1 IBA. The plantlets raised in vitro were acclimatized and transferred to soil with a 92% success rate. The protocol described here may be utilized for multiplication and conservation of elite clones of E. scaber.