In Vitro Propagation of Amaryllis and Zephyranthes Bulbous species using Household Tissue Culture Medium

The potential of household medium (HM) for micropropagation of Amaryllis and Zephyranthes using basal bulb scale segments was studied. The main aim of the present study was to reduce the cost of plant tissue culture medium by using locally available cheaper substitutes of the media components. Apart from traditional culture medium like MS, household materials such as fertilizers, vitamin capsules, inositol tablets, commercial sugar, and china grass were used in media preparation. Each explant consisting of a basal plate with 3�5 scales were cultured in this HM. The data assessed 3 months after the beginning of the experiment includes frequency of shoot regeneration, mean number of shoots per explant and standard error of the mean was performed. The best establishment and proliferation of buds from explants of Amaryllis and Zephyranthes were obtained on HM containing 5.0 mg l�1 BAP and 0.5 mg l�1 NAA and 3.0 mg l�1 BAP and 1.0 mg l�1 NAA respectively, which proved to be useful to assess the commercial feasibility for the rapid mass propagation. The success of the above experiments showed the commercial feasibility of household medium for the rapid mass propagation of ornamental plants.