Abstract
Maerua oblongifolia (Forssk.) A. Rich is an important and rare medicinal plant from Saudi Arabia. Natural regeneration of plant is very poor, occurs by seed and tuber. Therefore, an in vitro micro propagation protocol developed for the M oblongifolia. Nodal segments cultured on MS medium supplemented with benzyl adenine (BA) and Kinetin (Kn) produced buds, eventually forming optimum multiple shoots on MS medium containing 1.0 mu M BA. A marginal improvement in shoot multiplication was noted on addition of NAA (0.5 mu M) to BA (1.0 mu M). Basal media MS, B5 and WP medium proved to be ineffective in the multiplication of shoots. In vitro raised shoots could be easily rooted on MS medium supplemented with 2.0 mu M IBA (88% rooting). Other two axins IAA and NAA were moderately effective. Acclimatization and hardening of in vitro raised plantlets carried under controlled conditions of a greenhouse, with 95% survival of the plants. Inter simple sequence repeats (ISSR) marker was used to validate the genetic fidelity of 15 in vitro raised plants along mother plant. The ISSR primers resulted in monomorphic banding pattern in all the micropropagated plants as well as mother plant. This confirms the genetic homogeneity of the in vitro raised plants. This propagation protocol will help to conserve the plant and an alternative for secondary metabolite production.