Highly Efficient in Vitro Regeneration Method of Endangered Medicinal Plant Heliotropium kotschyi (Ramram) in the Kingdom of Bahrain

Heliotropium kotschyi (Ramram), is a very important plant in relation to environment protection and for its medicinal value in Bahrain. It has been detected as one of the endangered plants in Bahrain. Ex situ conservation of this plant applying tissue culture method was used in the present study. In vitro plant regeneration has been established via shoot organogenesis using nodal meristems. The effect of various plant growth regulators was evaluated to regenerate the whole plants by in vitro micropropagation in modified MS media supplemented with different plant growth regulators (PGRs). In vitro regeneration of plants was involved in three steps by shoot initiation, multiplication and rooting of microshoots. Initially 100% explants of Heliotropium kotschyi responded to initiate shoot in MS medium supplemented with 8.88 μM BAP with 5.71 μM IAA after 4 weeks of culture. Multiplication of shoots and ultimate plant regeneration capacity of Heliotropium kotschyi were compared and the highest performance of 578 shoots/explant was observed in presence of 8.88 μM BAP and 5.71 μM IAA after second transfer. Rooted plantlets were transferred to soil pots and 60% plants were survived after one and a half months. The highly efficient plant regeneration protocol of the desert plant is of great value in rapid plant propagation program for the purpose of conservation of biodiversity.