Meta-topolin and liquid medium enhanced in vitro regeneration in Scaevola taccada (Gaertn.) Roxb

Scaevola taccada (Gaertn.) Roxb. is a hemi-sclerophyllous littoral shrub of the family Goodeniaceae. It is a salt-tolerant plant and used in soil reclamation and coastal landscaping programs to control beach erosion. The present article reports a reproducible in vitro regeneration system using meta-topolin (mT) through liquid medium employing nodal segment cultures. The highest number of axillary shoots (5.8 +/- 0.29) was differentiated on Murashige and Skoog's (MS) medium containing meta-topolin (1.5 mg L-1). The amplification of shoots (49.8 +/- 0.37) and fresh growth was achieved by recurrent subcultures on liquid MS medium supplemented with 0.25 mg L(-1)mT and 0.15 mg L-1 indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) in the presence of additives (50 mg L-1 ascorbic acid + 25 mg L-1 citric acid, adenine sulphate and l-arginine). Rooting and acclimatization was simultaneously achieved using concurrent ex vitro rooting and acclimatization (CEVRA) technique by pulse treating the shoot base with 300 mg L-1 IBA for 5 min. The in vitro developed shoots represented a maximum percentage (100%) of rooting in autoclaved soilrite in a greenhouse. After 2 mo, the plantlets were established in the field with cent percentage survival success. The genetic fidelity analysis using inter simple sequence repeats (ISSR) DNA molecular markers developed maximum of 55 monomorphic bands and revealed the genetic homogeneity of in vitro regenerated plantlets with the mother plant.

Automated summary

This study reports on a reproducible in vitro regeneration system using meta-topolin (mT) for controlling beach erosion with Scaevola taccada (Gaertn.) Roxb. The liquid medium employing nodal segment cultures can facilitate plant growth and root development, while pulse treating can help with root growth and acclimatization of the plantlets.