In vitro propagation and somaclonal variation study of Phlogacanthus thyrsiformis Nees an ethnic medicinal plant

Bodoland Territorial Region is very rich in natural bioresources, and the Bodo tribes of the region use numerous ethnic medicinal plants to treat different kinds of diseases. Phlogacanthus thyrsiformis Nees is an important medicinal shrub species used in the region to treat different kinds of diseases. The objectives of the present study were to develop an efficient in vitro mass propagation technique of the species using nodal explant and study genetic stability in the genome of in vitro propagated plantlets by different RAPD markers. Effective explant surface sterilisation resulted at 2 minutes of treatment with 0.1% mercuric chloride. Explant responses were found most effective in the full strength MS + 1mg/l BAP (6- benzyl amino purine), and explant highest shoot proliferation multiplication and rooting were found in the media MS + 1 mg/l BAP + 0.250 mg/l NAA. Ex vitro rooting of micro propagated plants was most effective when the explants were dipped in 1mg/l IBA for an hour. RAPD assays were conducted using eight sets of random primers (OPC02, OPC05, OPC07, OPC08, OPC09, OPX06, DK2 and OPA01). All the primers except OPC07 and OPA01 formed monomorphic DNA bands in gel electrophoresis and polymorphism was detected by OPC07 and OPA01 primer