In vitro propagation of Nutmeg, Myristica Fragrans Houtt

Myristica fragrans is of very limited geographical distribution owing to its characteristic ecological requirements. The factors that restrict its propagation are recalcitrant seeds, a long juvenile phase and scarcity of propagules (Nair & Ravindran, 1988). Though the development of in vitro technology for the propagation of nutmeg is essential in view of its commercial importance and its immense potential as a source for new leads for drugs there are very few reports available. Induction of somatic embryogenesis in nutmeg has been achieved (Iyer et al., 2000). Metabolite profiling of the embryogenic cultures revealed the presence of the phytochemicals α & β-pinene, sabinene, myristicin, safrole, amphetamine derivatives and other compounds (Iyer et al., 2004, 2005a,b) of potent clinical value, some of which had not been reported earlier in vivo. Elicitation of the production of anthraquinones in vitro by chitosan was obtained (Iyer et al., 2005b). There was strong anti-bacterial activity against the human pathogens Salmonella typhi and Staphylococcus aureus (Iyer et al., 2005a) in the spent medium of the embryogenic cultures and nucleic acid base analogues could be detected in it. This reveals the potential of the embryogenic cultures for continuous production of valuable bioactive phytochemicals. The development of in vitro propagation techniques is done with the culture of different explants including zygotic embryos, leaf segments, nodal explants, and stem segments.