Optimization of Hydroponic System for Propagating and Hardening of In-vitro Grown Medicinal Plants

Abstract

For successful establishment of tissue cultured plants in the field conditions, hardening is the sig-nificant procedure which counts for the maximum percentage of survival . It is therefore a bottle-neck ,while transferring the tissue cultured plants to the natural environment. In order to overcome this , various techniques utilizing different types of potting mixtures, hardening systems and varia-ble physical conditions which includes different temperature and humidity regimes has already been carried out. In this study we have developed an indigenous static , active , fully immersed hydropon-ics system which was partially covered by thermocol sheet. The plants used for hardening are tissue cultured Picrorhiza kurroa , Swertia chirata , Gentiana kurroo and Withania somnifera which were immersed in media using hydroponic cups filled with coco peat. These plants were hardened using different hydroponic setups containing MS media with varied sucrose concentration which were supplemented with growth hormones like IBA and Kinetin .The system was kept in greenhouse conditions at 25⁰±C temperature and humidity ranging from 70-80%.Therefore, we were able to achieve some exceptional results in which the plants were hardened in a week within the hydropnic system itself followed by their transplantation to the soil containing potting mixture vermiculite, perlite and cocopeat in ratio of 1:1:1 respectively.