MICROPROPAGATION OF STERCULIA-URENS ROXB - AN ENDANGERED TREE SPECIES

An in vitro procedure for large scale multiplication of Sterculia uren s Roxb. (Gum Kadaya Tree) has been developed using cotyledonary node s egments. An average of 4.0 shoots per node were obtained on Murashige and Skoog's (MS) medium containing 2.0 mgl(-1) 6-benzyl amino-purine ( BAP) within 21 days of initial culture. Upon subsequent subculture 16 shoots/node could be harvested every three weeks and upto three times. Sixty per cent of the shoots were successfully rooted. Rooted plantle ts were transferred to plastic pots containing soil under mist house c onditions before they were finally exposed to an external environment. Fifty seven per cent of the plantlets survived in nursery sheds.