an efficient in vitro propagation, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of aphyllorchis montana (reichenb. f.)

An in vitro plant regeneration protocol was successfully established inaphyllorchis montana, a saprophytic achlorophyllous orchid by culturingimmature seeds. among the six basal media evaluated for seed germination,bm-tm medium was found to be the best followed by kc medium. after 40days, all the media turned brown and the growths of the protocorms werearrested. activated charcoal, 1 g/l in half strength bm-tm was found to besuitable for further development of protocorms. half strength bm-tm mediumwas supplemented with different growth regulators either individually or incombinations for multiplication of shoots. of the five cytokinins tested, tdz at6.8 ?m was found to be most effective for multiple shoot induction yielding17.24 ± 0.27 shoots after 10 weeks of culture. addition of low concentration ofnaa (1.3 ?m) in ms medium supplemented with the cytokinin tdz (6.8 ?m)favoured shoot multiplication. a mean number of 27.56 ± 0.54 shoots with3.92 ± 0.11 number of roots were produced per explant. the response of theseed derived protocorm to the different types of organic additives viz., peptoneand yeast extract and coconut water was also evaluated. the addition of theseorganic additives to the medium containing tdz enhanced the number ofshoot regeneration. the plantlets were acclimatized in plastic pots containingsterilized vermiculite. the survival rate was 100 % when maintained in theculture room condition (25 ± 2 °c). screening of the antibacterial, antioxidantactivity and estimation of total phenolics and flavonoid content of methanolicextracts of micropropagated plants were also carried out and compared withthat of the wild-grown plants. in all the tests, methanolic extract from wildgrownplants showed higher antioxidant, antimicrobial activity, total phenolicsand flavonoid content than in vitro propagated plants.