– Short communication

Shoot tips of seedlings raised in vitro from sterilized seeds of Zyziphus jujuba Lam. were used as primary explants. A combination of 0.5 mg/l BA and 0.2 mg/l NAA in MS medium resulted highest number of multiple shoots. Maximum elongation of shoots was also obtained in the same combination. A concentration of 1.0 mg/l IBA in half strength of MS proved to be the best for rooting. In vitro regenerated plantlets were successfully transferred to soil under natural environment. Plum (Vernacular name: Kul or Boroi) belongs to the family Rhamnaceae and is common in the tropical and subtropical regions. It has been described as a "gift of mother- nature symbolizing the productive capacity of the seemingly infertile ecosystem " (Kaaria 1998). An apt description of its value is that plum produces the three vital "f " that desert dwellers require fruit, fodder and fuel (Vashistha 1997). Plum trees are one of the hosts for the lac insects Kerria lacca, which are found on the bark and makes an orange-red resinous substance called lac. The purified resins make a shellac used to produce sealing wax and varnish