Abstract:
Conventionally, turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) is propagated through rhizomes. However, its multiplication rate is
very low where a single turmeric rhizome approximately produces 6-8 lateral buds and nearly 20-25% of the
harvest should be retained as planting materials for the next season. Therefore, the study focuses on the
development of an in vitro regeneration protocol of turmeric for the year-round provision of disease-free planting
material. Commercially grown sprouted rhizome buds were surface sterilized with fungicide followed by 70%
ethanol, and with different concentrations of Clorox (10, 20, 30 and 40%). Different exposure times (5, 10, 15 and
20 minutes) were tested to develop the best sterilization procedure. MS medium supplemented with different
concentrations of hormones BAP (2.0, 3.0, 4.0 and 5.0 mg/l) and NAA (0.25 and 0.5 mg/l) for shoot regeneration,
and IBA (1.0, 2.0, 3.0 and 4.0 mg/l) for root regeneration to find the best combination. The results showed that
30% Clorox and 20 minutes exposure time is suitable for surface sterilization of buds about 1.5-2.0 cm long. Shoot
regeneration was the highest when the media were treated with 4.0 mg/l of BAP and 0.5 mg/l NAA. The best IBA
concentration that gives the highest number of roots in the least number of weeks is 2.0mg/l. Additionally, 58.33%
of the plantlets survived after field acclimatization. The study concluded that the protocol can be used for in vitro
propagation of turmeric using rhizome buds for large-scale production of plant materials.
