A rapid micro-propagation protocol was established for Gynura
procumbens (Lour.) Merr., an important medicinal plant for the treatment of
various ailments such as diabetes, hypertension and urinary tract infection. The
shoot tips of three months old plants were used as the explants for the initiation
of in vitro culture in Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with
Img/L BAP. Optimization of rapid proliferation of shoots was carried out by
culturing the in vitro derived shoots onto MS medium supplemented with
different concentrations of BAP and KIN (0.0, 0.5, 1.0,1.5, 2.0 mg/L). Maximum
shoot proliferations an average of 21.33 shoots were produced per culture from
each shoot in 1.0 mg/L BAP. The effect of different strength of sugar (10, 20, 30,
40, 50 gm/L) and sub culturing on culture medium were observed for
optimization of shoot producing. The micro-shoots produced normal roots within
two weeks of culture on the basic % MS medium supplemented with 0.5 mg/L
IBA. The rooted plantlets of G. procumbens were transferred in soil and kept
under green house for hardening with a temperature of 25-29°C and 90% relative
humidity for two weeks. About 99% of the plantlets survived after two weeks of
transferring into polybag with soil:cowdung (3:1) in the nursery bed. The tissue
culture plants showed normal growth and development in poly bag within 6-8
weeks. The regenerated shoots were macro proliferated and produced a large
number of new plants in the nursery within a short period of time.