A STANDARD PROCEDURE FOR THE MICROPROPAGATION OF THE NEEM TREE (AZADIRACHTA-INDICA JUSS,A.)

Micropropagated shoots were initiated from leaf explants of the neem t ree, Azadirachta indica A. Juss. Regardless of their origin, shoots we re successfully produced by culturing leaf explants on Murashige and S koog medium containing benzylaminopurine (1 mg l(-1)), kinetin (0.8 mg l(-1)) and adenine sulphate (6 mg l(-1)) in complete darkness. These shoots were further multiplied on Murashige and Skoog medium containin g benzylaminopurine (0.1 mg l(-1)), kinetin (0.08 g l(-1)) and adenine sulphate (0.6 mg l(-1)). Within 32 weeks, 80 shoots could be produced from a single leaf explant (10 mmx10 mm). Fifty-five percent of these shoots rooted on Murashige and Skoog medium containing indolebutyric acid (1 mg l(-1)) and all of these grew on transfer to soil.