In Vitro Propagation and Ex Vitro Growth Assessment of Melia dubia Cav. Planted in Semi-Arid Alfisol
摘要
Melia dubia Cav. is an important agroforestry species, providing raw materials for many wood-based industries in India. The expression of high genetic variability, poor seed germination, and limitations in cutting-propagation obliges the development of micropropagation protocols for this species. This study aimed to optimize a micropropagation protocol for the high-yielding M. dubia clone GK-10 and to evaluate its growth under field conditions. The micropropagation experiments were conducted using Murashige–Skoog medium with cytokinin for shoot initiation and proliferation and with auxin for root formation. Results showed that the MS medium fortified with 0.50 mg L−1 and 0.25 mg L−1 of 6-benzylaminopurine was optimal for better shoot initiation and shoot proliferation, respectively. The ½ MS medium supplemented with naphthalene acetic acid at 4.0 mg L−1 resulted in 100% rooting of the explants while also increasing the number of roots per shoot and root length. The regenerated plants were successfully acclimatized in a large-scale containerized production system. The growth of micropropagated plants was evaluated through a field experiment and compared with cutting-propagated plants. The results indicated that growth parameters and carbon sequestration potential, measured in the 12-month-old plantation originating from micropropagated plants, were comparable to the plantation originating from cutting-propagated plants. Thus, this protocol proved the efficiency of the micropropagation of M. dubia for developing large-scale agroforestry plantations and sustainable raw material production.