REGENERATION OF PANAX-GINSENG C.A.MEYER BY ORGANOGENESIS AND NUCLEAR-DNA ANALYSIS OF REGENERANTS

Plant regeneration ability of ginseng (Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer) via o rganogenesis was studied. Compact callus was induced from four differe nt types of explants-leaf, petiole, flower stalk, and root of in vitro -grown plantlets. Petioles were found to be the best material for call us induction. Calli induced on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplem ented with 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (4.5 mu M) and kinetin (0.46 mu M) were conditioned for two weeks on the same medium. These calli differentiated into adventitious shoots when cultured on 1/2MS basal m edium plus kinetin 4.7 mu M and silver thiosulphate 10 mu M. An additi on of GA(3) (2.9 mu M) and BA (4.4 mu M) to MS basal medium, however, induced high frequency in vitro flowering (86.1%) and multiple shoot b udding which affected the normal complete development of plantlets. Pl antlets with a well-developed root system were obtained six weeks afte r regenerated shoots had been transplanted to 1/2 MS20 medium containi ng IBA 1.2 mu M. Nuclear DNA content was measured to check the stabili ty of their ploidy level. Based on DNA flow cytometric analysis, all t he regenerants were typically diploids as the mother plants were, indi cating that nuclear DNA content remained stable during cell differenti ation.