IT may occasion some surprise to those men of science who are ill-acquainted with India, and who so frequently express the view that Governments are unappreciative of the importance of science to learn that as far back as 1886 the Government of India arranged for Dr. George (later Sir George) Watt, professor of botany in the Presidency College, Calcutta, to prepare a "Dictionary of the Economic Products of India". The six volumes of this standard work were published during the years 1889-99. In 1908 Sir George Watt published a condensed version, "The Commercial Products of India". Whatever the defects of these 'dictionaries', they have been of inestimable value to all interested in Indian natural products. The Wealth of India A Dictionary of Indian Raw Materials and Industrial Products. Raw Materials, Vol. 1. Pp. xxvii+254+39 plates. 15 rupees ; 24s. Industrial Products, Part 1. Pp. xii+182+8 plates. 8 rupees ; 12s. (New Delhi : Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, 1948.)

The Wealth of India

The origin of plant cell and tissue culture can be found in a treatise published during the mid-18th century, entitled La Physique des Arbes, that describes the formation of callus tissue following the for mation of a ring of cortex from elm trees. Over the next two centuries, the discovery of plant growth hormones, in particular auxins and cytokinins, and detailed analyses on the nutritional requirements of plants, led to the formulation of media that could maintain actively dividing cultures derived from gymnosperms, and both dicotyledon ous and monocotyledonous angiosperms. However, much of the prog ress and technological development in the in vitro propagation of plant cells, tissues, and organs has occurred during the last 25 years. Recently, plant tissue culture techniques have been used as basic tools in the rapidly expanding field of plant biotechnology for the development and clonal propagation of new and/or improved plant varieties. Plant tissue culture is used for the micropropagation of commercially valuable cultivars that include ornamentals, oil palm, Glycyrrhiza, Pyrethrum, pine, Eucalyptus, sugar cane, and potatoes. Cultured plant tissue is also used for the selection of cells and, ul timately, the regeneration of plants that are tolerant to physical stresses such as pathogens, drought, and temperature extremes, and to chemical stress agents such as salinity, herbicides, proteins, and pyrethrins. In addition, new plants have been produced by the fusion of protoplasts prepared from cultured cells of different species in cluding sunflower and french bean, tomato and potato, and various cultivars of Datura. Finally, bacterial vectors and various mechanical methods have been used to introduce foreign genes into cultured plant tissues. Genetic transformation can result in profound changes in the phenotype and/or biochemical profile of the regenerated trans genic plants that are not characteristic of the wild type. An impressive variety of technologies in tissue culture, genetic manipulation, and molecular biology have been developed for nu merous plant species. Many of these techniques, sometimes referred to as plant biotechnology, have been extensively summarized and compiled in a well-balanced collection of easy-to-follow protocols presented in three separate, but complimentary, volumes. Plant Cell, Tissue and Organ Culture consists of 22 chapters (with 86 figures) and 5 appendices. The chapters cover critical aspects of (a) the es sential requirements for the operation of a plant tissue culture lab oratory; (b) the basic procedures of micropropagation, regeneration, and somatic embryogenesis; (c) some specific applications of organ culture systems such as embryo rescue and culture, and anther and microspore culture for haploid and double haploid production; (d) elementary transformation technology; and (e) useful microtechnique and analytical protocols specifically adapted to cultured tissues and cells. The appendices provide a convenient summary of media for mulations and commercial suppliers for the materials described in the text.

/pdf/plant-cell-tissue-and-organ-culture-3ebbet72ow.pdf

Plant Cell, Tissue and Organ Culture

Introduction. Ecologically Meaningful Germination Studies. Types of Seed Dormancy. Germination Ecology of Seeds with Nondeep Physiological Dormancy. Germination Ecology of Seeds with Morphophysiological Dormancy. Germination Ecology of Seeds with Physical Dormancy. Germination Ecology of Seeds in the Persistent Seed Bank. Causes of Within-Species Variations in Seed Dormancy and Germination Characteristics. A Geographical Perspective on Germination Ecology: Tropical and Subtropical Zones. A Geographical Perspective on Germination Ecology: Temperate and Arctic Zones. Germination Ecology of Plants with Specialized Life Cycles and/or Habitats. Biogeographical and Evolutionary Aspects of Seed Dormancy. Subject Index.

A Definitive Book on Seed Ecology@@@Seeds: Ecology, Biogeography, and Evolution of Dormancy and Germination

An efficient large-scale clonal propagation protocol has been described for Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal, a valuable medicinal plant, using cotyledonary nodes derived from axenic seedlings. Murashige and Skoog’s (Physiol Plant 15:473–497, 1962) (MS) medium supplemented with 1.0 mg l−1N6-benzyladenine (BA) was found to be optimum for production of multiple shoots (100 % shoot proliferation frequency and 16.93 shoots per explant). Successive shoot cultures were established by repeatedly sub-culturing the original cotyledonary node on a fresh medium after each harvest of newly formed shoots. Multiple shoot proliferation was also achieved from nodal segments derived from in vitro raised shoots on MS medium augmented with 1.0 mg l−1 BA. Regenerated shoots were best rooted (95.2 %, 38.7 roots per shoot) in half-strength MS medium supplemented with 1.0 mg l−1 indole-3-butyric acid. The plantlets were successfully acclimated and established in soil. Random amplified polymorphic DNA and inter-simple sequence repeats analysis revealed a homogeneous amplification profile for all micropropagated plants analyzed validating the genetic fidelity of the in vitro regenerated plants.

In vitro plant regeneration from cotyledonary nodes of Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal and assessment of clonal fidelity using RAPD and ISSR markers

https://scielo.conicyt.cl/pdf/ejb/v17n6/a04.pdf

Effect of cytokinin types, concentrations and their interactions on in vitro shoot regeneration of Chlorophytum borivilianum Sant. & Fernandez

Regeneration from leaf explants of Withania somnifera (L.) for mass propagation was studied on Murashige and Skoog’s medium supplemented with Kinetin (Kn) and 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) alone or in combination. Shoot buds were induced from the midrib on the abaxial side in presence of Kn and BAP (4 µM). These shoot buds developed into shoots on the same medium. Rooting of these shoots was achieved in 0.5 µM of IBA.

/pdf/shoot-regeneration-from-leaf-explants-of-withania-somnifera-2pcundww9l.pdf

Shoot Regeneration from Leaf Explants of Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal

A method for the micropropagation of Portulaca grandiflora Hook is described to understand the in vitro behaviour of nodal explants in cytokinin-rich medium. Aseptic nodal explants were cultivated on Murashige and Skoog’s medium containing different concentrations and combinations of 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) and 6-furfurylaminopurine (kinetin, KIN). The nodal explants of mature plant can be stimulated to undergo multiple shoot formation on the medium supplemented with BAP and KIN. Direct organogenesis without callus formation from the nodal explants was observed on medium supplemented with cytokinins. Using BAP (2 to 10 µM) alone had a significant effect on the formation of multiple shoots, which were stout and robust. Similar concentrations of KIN (2 to 10 µM) showed a weaker response. It was observed that when the optimum concentration of KIN (8 µM) was supplemented with low concentration of BAP (2 µM or 4 µM) there was a synergistic effect on the explant in terms of shoot regeneration. Single shoots were rooted on a half strength medium with 2 µM indole-3-butyric acid.

/pdf/in-vitro-behaviour-of-nodal-explants-of-portulaca-4sc1hc2i23.pdf

In vitro behaviour of nodal explants of Portulaca grandiflora under the influence of cytokinins

Plants of Bacopa monnieri were regenerated from entire leaf explants on Murashige and Skoog’s basal medium supplemented with different concentrations (2 – 12 µM) of cytokinin 6-benzylaminopurine. The largest numbers of adventitious shoot buds were induced in 100% cultures from the explant when 6-benzylaminopurine was used at a concentration of 6 µM. The rate of adventitious shoot bud regeneration was affected by the type of wounding and placement of the explant on the medium. The square leaf lamina produced the maximum number of shoots within eight weeks. Rooting was achieved in microshoots on ½ strength basal liquid medium supplemented with sucrose (1%) and indole-3-butyric acid (2 µM). The obtained plantlets could be successfully acclimatized ex vitro.

/pdf/high-frequency-of-shoot-regeneration-on-leaf-explants-of-2io9gt9q9r.pdf

High frequency of shoot regeneration on leaf explants of Bacopa monnieri

Stereospermum suaveolens DC. is a valuable medicinal tree species, now placed in the threatened category due to its overexploitation. This species is usually propagated through seeds but has a very poor rate of germination. The right choice of planting substrates and pretreatments given to seeds are important factors influencing germination and growth of the seedlings. The present study was conducted to determine suitable planting substrate(s) and an effective pretreatment for germinating the seeds. The moisture content of one year old seeds was high (15 ± 1.3) and that of the current year (fresh) seeds were low (8.1 ± 0.3). Fresh seeds were pre-soaked overnight in water and then grown in various substrates like coco peat, soil, sand, coco peat / sand (1:1) and coco peat / soil (1:1), filter paper, Murashige and Skoog’s medium (MS) and Woody Plant Medium. Results revealed that the optimum seed germination (68%) was recorded in coco peat substrate followed by MS medium (66 %) and lowest rate was in soil (6%). The other germination parameters studied were mean daily germination, which was same in coco peat as in MS medium (2.2), followed by filter paper (2.0). The germination rate was faster in coco peat (5.4) when compared to that on other substrates, while germination index was highest in MS medium (9.9). Coco peat was suitable in terms of germination. The effect of different pretreatments on germination were therefore studied for this substrate. Seeds soaked in distilled water showed maximum percent of germination compared to other pretreatments.

http://eeb.lu.lv/EEB/201403/EEB_12_Trivedi.pdf

Aruna G. Joshi

Papers

Shoot Regeneration from Leaf Explants of Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal

In vitro behaviour of nodal explants of Portulaca grandiflora under the influence of cytokinins

High frequency of shoot regeneration on leaf explants of Bacopa monnieri

Studies on seed germination of Stereospermum suaveolens with respect to different parameters

Regeneration and chemical profiling in Hemidesmus indicus (L.) R. Br.