Induction of multiple shoots and in vitro flowering from nodal explant of mollugo pentaphylla l a potent nutraceutical herb

Mollugo pentaphylla L. is an nutraceutical herb, and is used by traditional practitioners for curing whooping cough, treatment of eye diseases, to treat sprue, mouth infections. The leaves are used to make a soup that is said to promote the appetite, used to treat stomache, earache, skin disorders and abdominal pains. This plant in nature propagated itself through seeds only during the rainy season and not available in other seasons. To overcome these constraints in vitro propagation protocol for Mollugo pentaphylla L. has been developed using nodal explants. Induction of nodal callus observed with Murashige and Skoog’s (MS) media containing 0.5 mg/L of BAP and NAA with mass 2829.11±1.82 (mg). MS media containing 0.5 mg/L of BAP and 0.5 mg/L of Kn was found to be suitable for multiple shoot induction 26 ±1.95 with length 15.82 ±0.97 and MS media with 0.5 mg/L of BAP and 0.5 mg/L of NAA induced multiple shoots 20.03 ±2.17 with length 14.08 ±1.97 from the nodal callus. Roots were induced on half-strength MS medium containing 0.5 mg/L of NAA and 0.5 mg/L of IBA subsequently, in vitro flowering observed after 3 weeks on the same culture.