INVITRO PLANT-REGENERATION FROM LEAF-DERIVED CALLUS IN GINGER (ZINGIBER-OFFICINALE ROSC)

Excised tissues from young leaves of ginger cv. Maran were cultured on revised Murashige and Skoog medium supplemented with various concentrations of growth regulators. The presence of 2, 4-D in the culture medium at 9.0-22.6-mu-M resulted in callus growth. Organogenesis and plantlet formation occurred when the concentration of 2,4-D is reduced to 0.9-mu-M and with the addition of 44.4-mu-M BA into the medium. The rate of plant regeneration increased when the growth regulators are completely removed from the culture medium in the subsequent subcultures. The plantlets developed extensive root systems when they were put in MS liquid medium with 5.4-mu-M of NAA. The establishment of these plantlets in soil is about 80%.