Salts Induced Salinity and in Vitro Multiplication of Paronychia argentea

Paronychia argentea is a wild herb plant with a high medicinal value. P. argentea plant is a neglected herb that grows without any attention in terms of research for cultivation and propagation. The conventional propagation methods of P. argentea by seeds and cutting are not preferred due to low germination percentage and cutting rooting problems. As a substitute for seed propagation, effective micropropagation protocols were developed. Using 0.6 mg/L 6-Benzylaminopurine (BAP), maximum of 3.90 (shoot/explant) was produced on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium. In vitro growth was significantly decreased with increasing NaCl concentration. Potassium (K) and nitrogen (N) concentrations in P. argentea plantlets decreased significantly under NaCl treatment. Level of protein in leaf tissue generally decreased with increased NaCl concentrations in the medium. Proline content in P. argentea plantlets increased significantly with increasing NaCl concentrations. An increased in NaCl concentration in the medium resulted in an increase in total soluble solids (TSS) in plant tissue. Moreover, as salinity level concentration increased relative water content was decreased. High NaCl was significantly affected in vitro plants growth. P. argentea showed that in vitro P. argentea plantlets could be tolerated to in vitro salinity