TISSUE CULTURE OF A YEAR-ROUND FRUITING VARIETY OF ARTOCARPUS HETEROPHYLLUS L. IN BANGLADESH

F.M.S. Azam, M. Rahmatullah, Ather-uz-Zaman
Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) is available in Bangladesh between June to August; however, a variety exists that fruits throughout the year. The edible portion is considered as a good source of carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and minerals. In Bangladesh, malnutrition persists among 35-45% of the population and child malnutrition rate is more than 50%. Under this circumstance, wide cultivation of a jackfruit variety that bears fruit throughout the year can play a significant role towards reducing malnutrition in Bangladesh. Since this particular variety is not widely available, we have developed a method for its clonal propagation. Healthy and juvenile shoot tips and nodal segments were collected from field-grown fruit bearing trees and cultured in Murashige-Skoog (MS) media fortified with different concentrations and combination of 6-benzyleaminopurine and kinetin following the sterilization with 0.1% HgCl2. Sprouting and regeneration of micro shoots geared up when MS was enriched with 3.5 mg/L BAP. Proliferation frequency increased considerably and multiple shoots were regenerated as a clump of 2-3 shoots in pH 5.8 media within four weeks of inoculation through synergistic effect of 6-benzyleaminopurine (3.5 mg/L) and kinetin (1.5 mg/L). With the increase of subculture (up to 10th maximum), frequency of shoot proliferation was enhanced. Addition of 0.1 mg/L indole-3-acetic acid and 20% coconut water considerably increased shoot elongation and stimulated growth of the shoots. About 80% rooting frequency were observed in 1/2 MS medium with 1.2 mg/L indole-3-butyric acid. Rooting percentage and their growth were much better in liquid media. After proper acclimatization, rooted plantlets were transferred to polythene bags containing garden soil, sand and cowdung (1:1:1). After eight weeks of transplantation in open-field, more than 80% of the plants had survived. No morphological variants were observed during the passage of clonal propagation. This clonal propagation technique could play a significant role in improving productivity leading to reduced malnutrition.
Azam, F.M.S., Rahmatullah, M. and Ather-uz-Zaman, (2009). TISSUE CULTURE OF A YEAR-ROUND FRUITING VARIETY OF ARTOCARPUS HETEROPHYLLUS L. IN BANGLADESH. Acta Hortic. 806, 269-276
DOI: 10.17660/ActaHortic.2009.806.33
https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2009.806.33
jackfruit, clonal propagation, synergistic effect, malnutrition improvement
English

Acta Horticulturae