Abstract

Bambusa balcooa is a commercially important bamboo. The present study was undertaken for refinement of protocol for the rapid and mass production of this species of bamboo in agroclimatic condition of Bihar. Micro-clonal propagation techniques have been employed for the study. This technique is the only method for the large scale production of B. balcooa. Explants were collected from Bamboo setum from TNB College campus. Combined effect of 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) and Kinetin (Kn) (BAP 2 mg/l + Kn 0.5 mg/l) resulted in 85% bud breakage during initiation of cultures. One remarkable feature that was observed is that microshoots in medium without supplementation of naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) had necrotic shoots and they had less multiplication rate in liquid media. High multiplication rate with comparatively longer shoots were observed in liquid media. NAA (2.5 mg/l) along with half strength of MS showed 100% rooting but it was less than 50% when Murashige and Skoog (MS) media was supplemented with indole 3-butyric acid (IBA). Remarkably, in half strength of MS, clumps dried at first within 7 days in rooting media, however, new green healthy shoots proliferated later (after 21 days). The data obtained from this study has set a refined protocol for the clonal regeneration of B. balcooa for the state of Bihar. The current study will help to produce this species of bamboo on large scale, and thereby help to boost rural economy of Bihar.

Key words: In vitro regeneration, clonal propagation, bamboo, Bambusa balcooa, micropropagation.

Abbreviation

PGR,   Plant   growth   regulators;   MS,   Murashige  and Skoog; BAP, 6-benzylaminopurine; Kn, kinetin; TDZ, thidiazurone; IAA, indole 3-acetic acid; IBA, indole 3-butyric acid; NAA, naphthalene acetic acid.