Abstract

Spine gourd (Momordica dioica Roxb. ex. Willd.) is a delicious vegetable of south Asia. Its commercial cultivation is limited by vegetative mode of propagation and dioecious nature. An efficient in vitro regeneration protocol was developed from petiole derived callus of male and female plants. About 88.2% male and 95.5% of female petiole explants derived from one year old in vivo grown plants produced green, compact organogenic callus in MS medium containing 6.0 μM 2,4-D and 2.0 μM BAP after two successive subculture at 11 days interval. Adventitious shoots were produced from the organogenic callus when it was transferred to MS medium supplemented with, 6.0 μM TDZ and 1.0 μM 2,4-D with shoot induction frequency (male 87.5% and female 93.0%) and regeneration (male 38 shoots and female 43 shoots per explant). Shoot proliferation occurred when callus with emerging shoots were transferred in the same medium at an interval of 15 days. The regenerated shoots were elongated in MS medium augmented with 3.0 μM GA₃. The elongated shoots were rooted in MS medium supplemented with 1.5 μM IBA. Rooted plants were acclimatized in green-house and subsequently established in soil with a survival rate of 95%. The survival percentage differed with seasonal variations.

Key words: Adventitious shoots, dioecious, hardening, organogenic callus, Momordica dioica.