In vitro propagation of insectivorous plant Nepenthes khasiana Hook. F.- an endangered ornamental and ethnomedicinal species

Nepenthes khasiana Hook. f. is a critically endangered, carnivorous, endemic species of the Assam and Meghalaya and belongs to the monotypic family Nepenthaceae. An efficient micropropagation protocol was optimized for the propagation and ex-situ conservation of elite germplasm of the species from axenic shoot tip culture. The axenic cultures were established through in vitro seed germination, which envisage the prolonged seed germination time (180 Days) and poor seed germination (25%) in the species. Application of GA 3 (500 ppm) enhanced the seed germination upto 89%. Half-strength Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium fortified with 4.4 µM BAP was reported to be the ideal medium and 96.81% shoot formation was observed in N. khasiana shoot tip explants. The highest shoot proliferation of 21.22 ± 0.78 shoots per explants with 10.5 ± 0.5 cm mean shoot length was recorded. The in vitro raised shoots rooted in half salt strength MS medium fortified with IBA (4.9 μM) and 92.11% rooting was recorded with average 17.58 ± 0.87 roots per shoot and 5.5 ± 0.29 cm root length. In-vitro raised plantlets were shifted to the glass house with 65% success rate. Thus, the protocol developed might be useful for the ex-situ conservation of germplasm and commercialization of species to cope up with the ever increasing medicinal and ornamental demands of the species.