Sterile Tissue Preparation and Callus Induction of Curcuma longa Linn.

Abstract

Curcuma longa Linn. (family Zingiberaceae), commonly known as ‘turmeric’, is native to Southeast Asia. Turmeric has been used for color, flavor as a spice in cuisine and employed for treatment of various diseases. The major component in yellow-pigmented fraction of turmeric is curcuminoids. Curcuminoid production in callus of C. longa Linn. is our focus of study. Sterile techniques to obtain germ-free of C. longa Linn. explants were investigated and the results showed that immersing rhizome buds in 70% ethanol for 5 min, followed by 0.10% HgCl2 for 10 min offered approximately 66% survival rate. Multiple shoots were generated from the aseptic rhizome explants cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) agar medium fortified with 3.00 μM of 6-Benzylaminopurine (BA) and 0.50 μM of 1-Naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) at 25 ± 2°C under a photoperiod of 16 h light and 8 h dark. The sterile leaf sheath and root were subsequently used for callus induction which produced various responses when cultured on MS agar medium fortified with different concentrations of 2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid (2, 4-D), Thidiazuron (TDZ) and BA. The highest induction yields of friable callus were obtained from leaf sheath segments cultured on MS agar medium fortified with 0.50 mg/l 2, 4-D which are the conditions proposed for successful production of callus culture of C. longa Linn.