An Efficient Micropropagation System for Morinda officinalis How. (Rubiaceae), an Endangered Medicinal Plant

Authors
Z. C. Deng
H. Jin
H. He
School of Chinese Materia Medica, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, 510006, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China.
Abstract
The present work developed an efficient plant regeneration and propagation system via direct organogenesis for Morinda officinalis How., a valuable endangered medicinal plant. The effects of explant types on shoot induction, plant growth regulators on shoot proliferationand elongation and the subsequent rooting ability of shoots were examined. Among the various types of explant, direct shoot proliferationwas successfully achieved from shoot tips and nodal stem segments with around 95% of the explants producing approximately 5 shoots per explant after 8 weeks of culture on optimal medium. On the other hand, leaf and internodal explants did not produce any shoots. The most effective cytokinin on shoot proliferation was 6-benzyladenine. When the concentration of 6-benzyladenine was at 1.0-2.0 mg L-1, a high mean shoot number (about 5 shoots per explant) was achieved. Shoot elongation was obtained satisfactorily by transferring the shoots to Murashige and Skoog basal media containing 2.0-3.0 mg L-1 gibberellic acid-3 within 2 weeks. Rooting was 100% on half-strength Murashige and Skoog medium containing 0.2 mg L-1 indole-3-butyric acid after 3 weeks of culture. The plantlets were acclimatized in the greenhouse and subsequently transferred to the field with 90% survival rate.

Keywords

1. Bairu, M. W., Stirk, W. A., Dolezal, K. and Van Staden, J. 2007. Optimizing the Micropropagation Protocol for the Endangered Aloe polyphylla: Can Meta-topolin and Its Derivatives Serve as Replacement for Benzyladenine and Zeatin? Plant Cell Tiss. Organ Cult., 90: 15-23.
2. Balaraju, K., Agastian, P., Ignacimuthu, S. and Park, K. 2011. A Rapid In Vitro Propagation of Red Sanders (Pterocarpus santalinus L.) Using Shoot Tip Explants. Acta Physiol. Plant., 33: 2501-2510.
3. Bonga, J. M. and von Aderkas, P. 1992. Clonal Propagation. In: "In vitro Culture of Trees", (Eds.): Bonga, J. M. and von Aderkas, P.. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, PP. 76-104.
4. Chen, W., Xu, L., Li, Z. Y. and Li, K. L. 2006. Tissue Culture and Rapid Propagation of Morinda officinalis How. (In Chinese with an English abstract). Chinese Journal of Tropical Agriculture, 26(4): 8-13.
5. Choi, J., Lee, K. T., Choi, M. Y., Nam, J. H., Jung, H. J., Park, S. K. and Park, H. J. 2005. Antinociceptive Anti-inflammatory Effect of Monotropein Isolated from the Root of Morinda officinalis. Biol. Pharm. Bull., 28(10): 1915-1918.
6. Engelmann, F. 2011. Use of Biotechnologies for the Conservation of Plant Biodiversity. In Vitro Cell. Dev. Biol. Plant, 47: 5-16.
7. Faisal, M., Ahmad, N. and Anis, M. 2007. An Efficient Micropropagation System for Tylophora indica: An Endangered, Medicinally Important Plant. Plant Biotechnol. Rep., 1:155-161.
8. Gaspar, T., Kevers, C., Penel, C., Greppin, H., Reid, D. M. and Thorpe, T. A. 1996. Plant Hormones and Plant Growth Regulators in Plant Tissue Culture. In Vitro Cell. Dev. Biol. Plant, 32: 272-289.
9. Hajong, S., Kumaria, S. and Tandon, P. 2013. Effect of Plant Growth Regulators on Regeneration Potential of Axenic Nodal Segments of Dendrobium chrysanthum Wall. ex Lindl. J. Agr. Sci. Tech., 15: 1425-1435.
10. He, H. and Xu, H. H. 2002. In vitro Culture and the Agrobacterium-mediated Genetic Transformation of Morinda officinalis (In Chinese with an English abstract). Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi, 27(10): 733-735.
11. Huang, N. Z., Fu, C. M., Zhao, Z. G., Tang, F. L. and Li, F. 2007. Tissue Culture and Rapid Proliferation of Morinda officinalis How. (In Chinese with an English abstract). Guihaia, 27(1): 127-131.
12. Kim, I. T., Park, H. J., Nam, J. H., Park, Y. M., Won, J. H., Choi, J., Choe, B. K. and Lee, K. T. 2005. In-vitro and In-vivo Anti-inflammatory and Antinociceptive Effects of the Methanol Extract of the Roots of Morinda officinalis. J. Pharm. Pharmacol., 57: 607-615.
13. Khemkladngoen, N., Cartagena, J., Shibagaki, N. and Fukui, K. 2011. Adventitious Shoot Regeneration from Juvenile Cotyledons of a Biodiesel Producing Plant, Jatropha curcas L.. J. Biosci. Bioeng., 111(1): 67-70.
14. Kumar, S. and Bhat, Y. 2012. High-frequency Direct Plant Regeneration via Multiple Shoot Induction in the Apomictic Forage Grass Cenchrus ciliaris L.. In Vitro Cell. Dev. Biol. Plant, 48: 241-248.
15. Kumar, S., Tiwari, R., Chandra, A., Sharma, A. and Bhatnagar, R. K. 2013. In vitro Direct Plant Regeneration and Agrobacterium-mediated Transformation of Lucerne (Medicago sativa L.). Grass Forage Sci., 68: 459-468.
16. Lakshmanan, P., Lee, C. L. and Goh, C. J. 1997. An Efficient In vitro Method for Mass Propagation of a Woody Ornamental Ixora coccinea L.. Plant Cell Rep., 16: 572-577.
17. Li, Y. F., Gong, Z. H., Yang, M., Zhao, Y. M. and Luo, Z. P. 2003. Inhibition of the Oligosaccharides Extracted from Morinda officinalis, a Chinese Traditional Herbal Medicine, on the Corticosterone Induced Apoptosis in PC12 Cells. Life Sci., 72: 933-942.
18. Murashige, T. and Skoog, F. 1962. A Revised Medium for Rapid Growth and Bioassays with Tobacco Tissue Cultures. Physiol. Plant., 15: 473-497.
19. Nayak, S. A., Kumar, S., Satapathy, K., Moharana, A., Behera, B., Barik, D. P., Acharya, L., Mohapatra, P. K., Jena, P. K. and Naik, S. K. 2013. In vitro Plant Regeneration from Cotyledonary Nodes of Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal and Assessment of Clonal Fidelity using RAPD and ISSR Markers. Acta Physiol. Plant., 35: 195-203.
20. Raja, H. D. and Arockiasamy, D. I. 2008. In vitro Propagation of Mentha viridis L. from Nodal and Shoot tip Explants. Plant Tissue Cult. & Biotech., 18(1): 1-6.
21. Ramadevi, T., Ugraiah, A. and Pullaiah, T. 2012. In vitro Shoot Multiplication from Nodal Explants of Boucerosia diffusa Wight - An Endemic Medicinal Plant. Indian J. Biotechnol., 11: 344-347.
22. Ruan, Y. Z. 1991. Morinda officinalis How. In: “China Plant Red Data Book-Rare and Endangered Plants. Volume 1”, (Eds.): Fu, L. G., Jin, J. M., Yu, B. and Zeng, J. F.. Chinese Science press, Beijing, PP. 570-571. (In Chinese)
23. Sarasan, V., Cripps, R., Ramsay, M. M., Atherton, C., McMichen, M., Prendergast, G. and Rowntree, J. K. 2006. Conservation In vitro of Threatened Plants - Progress in the Past Decade. In Vitro Cell. Dev. Biol. Plant, 42: 206-214.
24. Seo, B. I., Ku, S. K., Cha, E. M., Perk, J. H., Kim, J. D., Choi, H. Y. and Lee, H. S. 2005. Effect of Mornidae Radix Extracts on Experimental Osteoporosis in Sciatic Neurectomized Mice. Phytother. Res., 19(3): 231-238.
25. Sharafi, A., Sohi, H. H., Sharafi, A. A., Azadi, P. and Mousavi A. 2014. Tissue Culture and Regeneration of an Antimalarial Plant, Artemisia sieberi Besser. Res. J. Pharmacogn., 1(3): 15-20.
26. Shatnawi, M. A. 2013. Multiplication and Cryopreservation of Yarrow (Achillea millefolium L., Asteraceae). J. Agr. Sci. Tech., 15: 163-173.
27. Singh, J. and Tiwari, K. N. 2012. In vitro Plant Regeneration from Decapitated Embryonic Axes of Clitoria ternatea L.- an Important Medicinal Plant. Ind. Crop. Prod., 35(1): 224-229.
28. Tefera, W. and Wannakrairoj, S. 2006. Synergistic Effects of Some Plant Growth Regulators on In vitro Shoot Proliferation of Korarima (Aframomum corrorima (Braun) Jansen). Afr. J. Biotechnol., 5(10):1894-1901.
29. Thomas, T. D. and Shankar, S. 2009. Multiple Shoot Induction and Callus Regeneration in Sarcostemma brevistigma Wight & Arnott, a Rare Medicinal Plant. Plant Biotechnol. Rep., 3: 67-74.
30. Zaerr, J. B. and Mapes, M. O. 1982. Action of Growth Regulators. In: "Tissue Culture in Forestry", (Eds.): Bonga, J. M. and Durzan, D. J.. Martinus Nijhoff/Dr. W. Junk Publishers, The Hague/Boston/London, PP. 231-255.
Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology
Volume 17, Issue 6
November and December 2015
Pages 1609-1618