Thidiazuron induces high-frequency plant regeneration from shoot tip explants of an ornamental aquatic plant, Anubias barteri var. nana

Anubias barteri var. nana is a commercially important ornamental aquatic plant that has low multiplication rate and in vitro regeneration difficulties. Anubias barteri var. nana is widely used for making ornamental fishes healthier and decorating aquariums in more natural surroundings in aquaria. In the present study, a reproducible and highly efficient protocol for obtaining shoot organogenesis from shoot tip explants of an ornamental aquatic plant, Anubias barteri var. nana has been developed. Shoot tip explants were excised from 90-day-old plantlets and cultured on MS (Murashige and Skoog, 1962) medium supplemented with various concentrations of growth regulators namely 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP; 5.0, 7.0, and 9.0 mg L^‑1), 6-furfurylaminopurine (kinetin; 5.0, 7.0, and 9.0 mg L^‑1), and thidiazuron (TDZ; 5.0, 7.0, and 9.0 mg L^‑1). The highest frequency (100%) of multiple shoot formation with maximum number of shoots (4.50 shoots explant^‑1), shoot length (9.50 mm), number of leaves (16.75 leaves explant^‑1), leaf length (13.22 mm), leaf width (6.58 mm), root induction efficiency (100%), and number of roots (25.25 roots explant^‑1) was achieved on MS medium supplemented with 7.0 mg L^‑1 TDZ. The regenerated complete plantlets were successfully acclimatized into small clay pots containing a rockwool under greenhouse conditions at 100% survival and grew vigorously without any morphological abnormalities during acclimatization in the greenhouse. This phytohormones and shoot tip explants based micropropagation can open up the route for in vitro clonal multiplication of this commercially important Anubias species.