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In vitro propagation of Rhododendron wattii Cowan—a critically endangered and endemic plant from India

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Abstract

Rhododendron wattii Cowan is a rare and endangered plant found in northeast India. In an effort to boost specimen numbers, experiments of in vitro seed germination, shoot induction on different media supplemented with the cytokinin isopentenyladenine (2iP), and root induction with auxins α-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA), indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) in woody plant medium (WPM) were carried out. A maximum mean shoot number of 7.72 per explant were obtained from nodal explants cultured on WPM and 39.36 μM 2iP with a maximum mean shoot length of 2.30 cm per explant. Among the auxins investigated for root induction, IBA at 2.45 μM was found to produce the most and the longest roots, when compared to other treatments. However, WPM supplemented with 0.2% (w/v) activated charcoal also showed 100% root formation with shoots having broader leaves compared to auxin treatments. About 60% of in vitro rooted plantlets transferred from lab to greenhouse conditions survived. Sixty acclimatized plants were reintroduced in the vicinity of their natural habitat at Naga Heritage Village, Kisama, Nagaland, in May 2016 for ex situ conservation. Survival of the reintroduced plants was confirmed during the field visit conducted in November 2016.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Director, BSI, Kolkata for the constant encouragement and support.

Funding

The authors are thankful to DBT, New Delhi, for the financial support

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Botanical Survey of India, Eastern Regional Centre, Shillong, Meghalaya, 793003, India

    Ashiho A. Mao, Deepu Vijayan, R. K. Nilasana Singha & Sangeeta Pradhan

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  1. Ashiho A. Mao
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  2. Deepu Vijayan
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  3. R. K. Nilasana Singha
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  4. Sangeeta Pradhan
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Correspondence to Ashiho A. Mao.

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Editor: Nancy Reichert

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Mao, A.A., Vijayan, D., Nilasana Singha, R.K. et al. In vitro propagation of Rhododendron wattii Cowan—a critically endangered and endemic plant from India. In Vitro Cell.Dev.Biol.-Plant 54, 45–53 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11627-017-9869-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11627-017-9869-7

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