Abstract:
Jatropha curcas seeds (immature, mature, fully mature) were collected and surface sterilized using dif ferent concentrations of Clorox (5.25% sodium hypochlorite –NaOCl) with different exposure times
followed by dipping in 70% and 100% ethanol for two minutes and flaming. Surface sterilized seeds
were inoculated on Murashige and Skoog, McCown’s Woody Plant and B5 media with and without in corporating activated charcoal at 1 gL-1. Shoot tips were excised from in vitro germinated seedlings and
cultured on B5 medium containing different combinations of benzylaminopurine, kinetin and naphtha leneacetic acid. Experiments were designed according to a Factorial Completely Randomized Design and replicated 20 times. Data were analyzed using SAS computer software. Surface sterilization of
seeds in 100% Clorox for 30 minutes followed by dipping in 100% ethanol for two minutes and flaming
over the blue flame of a Bunsen burner recorded 100% aseptic cultures. Mature seeds in B5 medium
showed early seed germination and best seedling growth than immature and fully mature seeds in B5,
MS and WPM media. Shoots proliferated on B5 medium supplemented with 1 mgL-1
benzylamino purine, 1 mgL-1 Kinetin and 2 mgL-1naphthaleneacetic acid resulted the highest number of shoots (6.6 shoots per explant). Supplementing B5 medium with activated charcoal at 1 gL-1
did not have a signifi cant effect on seed germination and seedling growth.
