The use of sucrose and indole-3-butyric acid for increasing quantity of root and acclimatization of ant plant (Myrmecodia pendans)

Ant plant (Myrmecodia pendans) is an epiphytic with cavity-bulging trunks inhabited by a colony of ants. This plant is widely used as raw material for natural medicines, which effect in its massive exploitation. In vitro culture becomes one of the ant plant preservation efforts. The research aimed to determine the effect of sucrose and indole-3-butyric acid in improving the quantity of roots and on the success of ant plant plantlets acclimatization. This research was done in 2 stages, namely increasing the quantity of roots and acclimatization of ant plant plantlets. Each step was performed using single factor experiment arranged in a randomized complete block design. The treatments tested were the addition of sucrose (30 and 40 g L^-1) and indole-3-butyric acid (0, 0.5 and 1 mg L^-1), whereas the acclimatization stage was made the same in all treatments. Each treatment was repeated 5 times. Parameters observed in step one were the percentage of live plantlets, the accretion of plantlets height, the accretion of root number, the accretion of shoot number, the percentage of contaminated plantlets and the percentage of browning plantlets. Parameters observed in acclimatization stage were the percentage of live plantlets, the accretion of root number and the percentage of dead plantlets. The result showed that the addition of sucrose and indole-3-butyric acid gave insignificant effect on increasing the quantity of ant plant plantlets roots. The best treatment for acclimatization of ant plant plantlets was the addition of sucrose 40 g L^-1 + indole-3-butyric acid 0.5 mg L^-1 with the accretion of root number i.e., 7.2 roots for each plantlet.