TITLE	A simple method for the micropropagation of Bowiea volubilis from inflorescence explants
AUTHOR	K. Hannweg Centre for Indigenous Plant Use Research, Biology Department, University of Natal, Private Bag X10, Dalbridge 4014, Republic of South Africa M.P. Watt Centre for Indigenous Plant Use Research, Biology Department, University of Natal, Private Bag X10, Dalbridge 4014, Republic of South Africa P. Berjak Centre for Indigenous Plant Use Research, Biology Department, University of Natal, Private Bag X10, Dalbridge 4014, Republic of South Africa
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ABSTRACT	The bulb of Bowiea volubilis (Liliaceae) is important in traditional medicine in South Africa. Although this species can be macro- and micropropagated, present methods relying on the use of bulb-scale pieces can result in the destruction of the parent plant. In this study, a protocol for the organogenic plant regeneration from inflorescence pieces was established. It involves the culture of 10 mm long pieces of inflorescence stem on MS basal nutrient medium, 30 g l-1 sucrose, 10 g l-1 agar, 1 mg l-1 2,4-D and 1 mg l-1 BAP, in the dark for 6_8 weeks. The explants are then transferred to fresh medium without growth regulators, where bulblet development, shoot elongation and rooting occur within 4_5 weeks. Successful hardening-off is achieved using conditions of relatively low humidty. As the inflorescence is very long (up to 20_30 m in total) and the protocol results in approximately 4.6 plantlets per explant, thousands of plantlets can potentially be produced in this manner from a single inflorescence.
KEYWORD	Conservation; Ethnobotany; Medicinal plant; Propagation;
ARTICLE INFO	Botanical Bulletin of Academia Sinica, Volume 37 Number 3 July 1996, page 213-218, 6 pages
PUBLISHER	Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China