DIRECT AXILLARY SHOOT REGENERATION WITH NODAL EXPLANTS OF Bacopa monnieri (L.) Pennell – A MULTI MEDICINAL HERB

The aim of the present investigation is to develop an optimized culture medium for direct induction of adventitious multiple shoots from nodal explants of bacopa monnieri an important medicinal herb. the nodal explants were excised from the in vivo b. monnieri and were inoculated over different media fortified with cytokinins bap or kin alone or in combination with iaa for in vitro response. the rooting was established with murashige and skoog media containing with auxin naa. all the treatments are performed in a controlled aseptic chamber and maintained the cultures at temperature 22ºc for 4 and 2 weeks respectively for shoot induction and rhizogenesis. the results are expressed in mean of three replicates with standard error. adventitious multiple shoots proliferated from nodal explants cultured on all the tested media. the highest per cent shoot induction, shoot number per node and shoot length was observed on ms medium containing bap(1.5mg/l) and iaa(0.5mg/l). the excised shootlets cultured on ms media fortified with various levels of naa and identified 0.2mg/l naa was best for maximum rhizogenesis. the rooted plants were successfully transferred to the field. overall, the present study showed superior results for shoot number per node over previous reports. therefore, it is hoped that this report will contribute to our knowledge about in vitro mass propagation of medicinal herb b. monnieri.