2015, Vol. 3, Issue 4, Part A

author(s)
Tulika Mishra

abstract
Ocimum sanctum Linn, also known as “Holy Basil” is one of the most common medicinal plants used by diverse cultures and tribal groups. An efficient protocol for rapid propagation of O. sanctum, of the family Lamiaceae, was developed using leaf explants culture. The leaf explants cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal medium were supplemented with various concentrations and combinations of auxins and cytokinins. Callus induction was obtained within 7-10 days, Picloram at 3mg/l formed profuse callus and the degree was found to be the highest (+++++) among all the treatments. The best response to shoot induction, with maximum shoot elongation 6.8±0.14 was obtained using 1.0mg/l 6-benzyl aminopurine (BA) in combination with 0.5 mg/l Indole Acetic Acid (IAA). This medium showed 82% shoot bud proliferation with 23.8±0.23 mean number of shoots. In vitro shoots were rooted on 1.5mg/l of Indole Butyric Acid (IBA) supplemented medium. The rooted shoots were successfully acclimatized and established under natural conditions, with 90% survival rate.