Direct organogenesis mediated improvised mass propagation of Pogostemon cablin: A natural reserve of pharmaceutical biomolecules

Pogostemon cablin (Blanco) Benth. or Patchouli is a prized medicinal herb used in various ethno-medicinal preparations and perfume industry. However due to over-collection and nematode infections in the roots of P. cablin, the wild populations are facing a steady decline and are at risk. In the present research, we report a fast clonally stable regeneration protocol for P. cablin with the utilization of meta-topolin (mT), a prized aromatic cytokinin (CK) for the first time. The highest rate of shoot proliferation i.e. 45 shoots/explant was observed after 4 weeks from leaf segments on MS media fortified with 1.0 mg/l mT. The highest rate of rooting was observed when the regenerated micro shoots were cultured in MS medium supplemented with 1.5 mg/l IBA. Direct root regeneration was tested upon with the applications of three conventional auxins i.e., Naphthalene acetic acid (NAA), Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), Indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) using the same explants. The genetic homogeneity of the regenerated clones was ascertained, using two gene targeted molecular marker systems namely Start Codon Targeted Polymorphism (SCoT) and Inter-Retrotransposon Amplified Polymorphism (IRAP) ascertaining genetic stability amongst the regenerates and the donor plant. In precise, the present research provides vital insights into the role of aromatic CKs like mT in the high frequency regeneration of medicinally important plants like P. cablin which might serve as important baseline information for the pharma industry where supply of Quality Planting Material (QPM) is a real challenge. (c) 2020 SAAB. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The study presents a fast clonally stable regeneration protocol for Pogostemon cablin using the aromatic cytokinin meta-topolin (mT), addressing the challenges faced by wild populations. The research demonstrates genetic homogeneity of the regenerated clones and provides crucial insights for the high frequency regeneration of medicinally important plants like P. cablin.