OPTIMIsATION OF DIFFERENT PARAMETERS FOR RAPID In vitro MICROPROPAGATION OF Aloe vera (L.) (INDIAN ALOE)

Aloe vera L. (Indian Aloe) is an important xerophytic medicinal plant. It is used in cosmetic and drug industry all over the world due to containing 200 bioactive pharmaceutical ingredients and its value is increasing day by day. The research sample collected from the field grown plants and pot plants, in which axillary shoot was used as explant. Here optimised different parameters for micropropagation of Aloe vera, such as sources of explant, the age of explant, types of explant, HgCl2 (0.1%) treatment of the explant, effect of different growth regulators on shooting and rooting. For shoot multiplication, MS medium with BAP at 4.0 mg/l and NAA at 0.5 mg/l combination gave the best result, about 25 shoots per explant. On the other hand, BAP at 1.0 mg/l with IBA at 0.2 mg/l gave better results, about 18 shoots per explant. In case of rooting, IBA was used at a different concentration with full strength and half strength MS medium. Best result came from field grown, 10-15 days young aged explant which contain three leaf with axillary shoot when these were treated with (0.1%) HgCl2 solution about 5 minutes and inoculated on MS medium with 4.0 mg/l BAP plus 0.5 mg/l NAA for shooting and inoculated on MS (half strength) medium with 0.5 mg/l IBA for rooting. The total time for shooting, rooting, and acclimatization in a poly house was about 6-7 weeks. It is concluded that a large number of plantlets can be raised from the even small size of explants within considerably lower time than the conventional method. It also provides a reliable and economically important method of maintaining pathogen-free plantlets in a state that can allow rapid multiplication and its transportation and also can be used for commercial purposes. The commercial purposes are Food, Pharmaceutical, and Cosmetic industries.