Abstract:
In-vitro propagation is a rapid multiplication technique to produce planting materials. Agar is
commonly used gelling agents for in-vitro propagation of banana and other crop varieties. But
agar is more expensive. Planting material can be produced quickly using the technique of in-vitro
propagation. Even though it is expensive, agar is a popular gelling agent for diverse crop varieties
to be propagated in vitro. This study was conducted to propose a cost-effective and locally
available alternative gelling agent for in-vitro propagation of banana. The objective of the study
was to find out a locally available, cost-effective gelling agent for banana in vitro propagation. Two
different locally available crop varieties, “Taro root” (Colocasia esculenta (L) and “Sweet potato”
(Ipomoea batatas) were used for the experiment and this study was conducted under five
experiments. According to experiment 1, the best powder preparation method is normal starch
extraction method. According to that method, get raw taro roots and sweet potato pieces and
grind them using water. After that, using a muslin cloth, separate the starch. Experiment 2 was to
determine the solubility ability and soluble temperature of Taro roots and sweet potato and the
both the varieties were properly dissolved with water. In the second experiment, the solubility
potential and temperature of the solvent were measured, and both varieties were successfully
dissolved in water. Their best soluble temperature was 70°C for both taro roots and sweet potato
solution. The results of the third experiment revealed that 100 g/L of taro roots and 80 g/L of
sweet potato were the best concentration for solidifying the MS medium as instead of agar.
According to visual observation MS + 100g/L of taro roots powder and MS + 80g/L of sweet potato
powder a solid form from a day after the media preparation. This solid form did not change even
in the eighth week. Further any biological contamination and color change were not noticed in
both media, for 4 weeks. Even after eight weeks, there was no change in this solid form, and during
the four weeks, no biological contamination or a change in color was observed in both medium.
According to the cost analysis taro root and sweet potato medium are cost effective than agar
medium. Taro root medium and sweet potato medium had a cost reduction of 91.6% and 90%,
respectively, compared to agar medium. It can be concluded that sweet potatoes and taro root are
cost effective gelling agents that serve as a good alternative for agar in tissue culture medium in
banana plants.
