Synchronous Plantlet Formation by Using Banana Extract and In vitro Hardening in Orchid , Dendrobium lituiflorum

The present study was undertaken to investigate the role of banana extract (BE) on synchronous plantlet formation from seeds of Dendrobium lituiflorum Lindl. The seedlings formed on modified Knudson C (KC) medium supplemented with 20% (v/v) BE had significantly high fresh and dry weights. Morphologically uniform plantlets with elongated leaves and well developed roots were formed on KC medium with 20% (v/v) BE in comparison to KC medium without BE (control) after 30 d of fourth subculture. The plantlets so formed were subjected to in vitro hardening on agar-agar gelled medium, Luffa sponge and cocopeat: perlite (9:1) as support matrices, each containing one-half strength KC major salts and were successfully acclimatized under greenhouse conditions. Banana extract helps in synchronous plantlet formation in vitro which is not only beneficial for conservation purposes but also to the biotech industries as a large number of uniform plantlets can be obtained for transplantation, thereby, reducing the cost of production.