Medicinal & Aromatic Plants
Open Access

Abstract

Effect of Different Carbon Sources and Elicitors on Shoot Multiplication in Accessions of Centella asiatica

Koyel Kundu, Arpita Roy, Gaurav Saxena, Lakhan Kumar and Navneeta Bharadvaja

Centella asiatica is a medicinal herb which has been extensively used in the treatment of nervous disorders and skin diseases. It is distributed throughout the tropical and sub-tropical region of the world. This plant contains various bioactive constituents such as asiaticoside, madecassic acid, flavonoids etc. Centella is in huge demand in International market for the preparation of pharmaceuticals and cosmetics which has resulted in its overexploitation. This situation demands the use of biotechnological methods to conserve as well as increase the production of biomass and bioactive compounds. The present study focused the use of different carbon sources (sucrose and fructose) and elicitors (Malt extract, Salicylic acid and Jasmonic acid) for the enhancement of biomass in five accessions of Centella asiatica. It was concluded that Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 1 mg/L concentration of Malt extract and 1.5 mg/L concentration of 6-Benzyl amino purine (BAP) showed highest biomass production among all elicitors. Among two carbon sources, MS media supplemented with Sucrose (3 mg/L) along with BAP (1.5 mg/L) showed better result than fructose.