Micropropagation of minor cucurbits: ivy gourd (Coccinia grandis L. Voigt), teasel gourd (Momordica subangulata subsp. renigera), and spine gourd (M. dioica Roxb.)
摘要
Minor cucurbits like ivy gourd, teasel gourd, and spine gourd are perennial and dioecious plants of the Cucurb6itaceae family. Conventional methods of propagation like stem cutting, and tuberous roots are insufficient to meet the demand and supply for farmers on a mass scale for cultivation as vegetable crops. Therefore, a customized and common micropropagation protocol with an ex vitro rooting system has been standardized and developed for three minor cucurbits. Shoot amplification was achieved using nodal explants on a Murashige and Skoog medium supplemented with 0.5 mg L−1 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) and 0.5 mg L−1 kinetin in combination. In a 3-wk duration, the maximum number of shoots (3 to 5) with an average length of 5.64 to 6.24 cm has been recorded and subcultured for another 2 wk. The micro shoots were rooted under ex vitro conditions. Each micro shoot was treated with 1.0 mg L−1 indoleacetic acid (IAA) solution for 18 h and then shifted to small cups having soilrite, Irish peat moss, and vermiculite (1:1:1) mixture and kept for 2 wk. Further, rooted plantlets were acclimatized under optimum environmental conditions of high humidity (80 to 90%) and temperature of 28 ± 2°C for 15 to 20 d. More than 85% of plants were successfully hardened and survived with normal growth characteristics. This protocol could be potentially employed for mass multiplication of minor cucurbits and their supply for commercial cultivation to farmers.