PLANT-REGENERATION FROM AXILLARY BUDS OF A MATURE TREE OF FICUS-RELIGIOSA

Dormant axillary buds of nodal explants collected from a mature (35-ye ar-old) tree of Ficus religiosa L. sprouted on MS medium supplemented with 6-benzyladenine (BA, 5 mg l(-1)) and indole-3-butyric acid (IBA, 0.2 mg l(-1)) within 4 days. Multiple shoots were obtained when these explants were transferred to MS medium containing 1.5 mg l(-1) BA and 1.5 mg l(-1) adenine sulphate (ADS). These multiple shoots (1 cm) were allowed to elongate to a height of 4-5 cm by maintaining them on MS m edium containing 2 mg l(-1) BA, 0.5 mg l(-1) 1-naphthalene acetic acid (NAA), and activated charcoal (0.3% w/v). Nodal segments taken from t hese in vitro-proliferated shoots yielded multiple shoots when culture d on the multiple shoot-inducing MS medium mentioned above. Root induc tion in these shoots (4-5 cm in height) was achieved by transferring t hem onto MS medium supplemented with 2 mg l(-1) IBA and 0.1 mg l(-1) N AA for 1 week; upon transfer to half-strength MS basal medium these sh oots exhibited root proliferation. These rooted plantlets were success fully established in soil after a short period of acclimatization.