An efficient in vitro plantlet regeneration of an ornamental aquatic plant Anubias heterophylla through shoot tip culture

Anubias heterophylla is a commercially important ornamental aquatic plant species with traditional uses. Due to the low growth of plantlets, propagation by conventional means has been met with many difficulties. In this study, an efficient micropropagation protocol of a valuable ornamental aquatic plant, Anubias heterophylla, was developed successfully. Plant regeneration of Anubias heterophylla was achieved through organogenesis in shoot tip cultures. Multiple shoots were induced from cultured shoot tips on a MS (Murashige and Skoog, 1962) medium supplemented with 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) and 1-naphthalene acetic acid (NAA). 100% of shoot regeneration frequency and 3.40±0.24 shoots explant^‑1 were achieved when cultured on a medium supplemented with 3.0 mg L^‑1 BAP. The multiple shoots formed vigorous growth on agar-gelled medium with well-developed leaves and roots after 60 days of culture. Acclimatization was done in a humid growth chamber for two weeks and the plantlets were gradually transferred to the greenhouse. More than 97% in vitro plants survived and grew vigorously without any morphological abnormalities during acclimatization in the greenhouse. The current protocol was the first reported on successful establishment of in vitro clonal propagation of A. heterophylla. This phytohormones and shoot tip explants based micropropagation can open up the route for in vitro clonal multiplication of this commercially important Anubias species.