Effect of Sodium Nitroprusside on Morphogenesis, and Genetic Attributes of In Vitro Raised Plantlets of Curcuma longa Var. Lakadong

Curcuma longa var. Lakadong, popularly known as turmeric is in high demand worldwide owing to its high curcumin content of about 6.8–7.5% that possesses antiallergic properties. The conventional clonal propagation of this Lakadong variety results in slow multiplication rate which will hamper its production on a commercial scale. Therefore, an efficient and reliable in vitro technique of Curcuma longa var. Lakadong with different SNP concentrations has been accomplished for its rapid multiplication, thereby, meeting the needs of the global demand. For rapid production and multiplication, using rhizome buds as explant, Murashige and Skoog (1962) medium was supplemented with varying concentrations of SNP (0.1 to 0.5 μM, 1 to 5 μM, and 10 to 30 μM), respectively. The findings indicated that to improve morphological traits, lower concentrations of SNP ranging from 0.5 to 5 μM were sufficient. Clonal propagation has been established to assess the genetic fidelity using SSR marker. Genetic fidelity assessment of the clones revealed that the percentage of variation among them is not significant. The outcome of this study can be used successfully for micropropagation of in vitro plantlets of C. longa with satisfactory levels of secondary metabolites without any variation from their natural counterparts.