Abstract
Trivrit [Operculina turpethum (L.) Silva Manso], belonging to the family
Convolvulaceae, is a perennial, herbaceous and creeping vine. It is a medicinal plant
which is widely used in traditional systems of Indian medicine. The roots, undamaged
bark, stem and leaves possess immense medicinal properties and are used in the
treatment of various ailments, including bronchitis, skin diseases, tuberculosis, cough,
asthma, rheumatism, jaundice, ulcer, gastrointestinal disturbances, etc. The plant is
enlisted as threatened species in different states of India, particularly in Odisha, due to
indiscriminate destruction of forests, shrinkage of natural habitats, and unsustainable
harvesting and collection for medicinal uses. Thus, there is an urgency for its protection
and conservation. To scale up the production of O. turpethum, aiming at its
conservation, micropropagation can be an alternative in order to circumvent the
limitations of conventional propagation of the plant. Keeping this in view, an efficient
protocol for plant regeneration of O. turpethum by axillary shoot proliferation from
nodal segments was optimized. Multiple shoots were induced from mature nodal
explants by axillary shoot proliferation on Murashige and Skoog’s (1962) (MS)
medium augmented with different types and concentrations of plant growth regulators.
The highest number of shoots (13.3) proliferated on MS + 3.0 mg/L meta-Topolin. In
vitro regenerated shoots were rooted on ½ MS medium containing 0.5 mg/L indole-3-
butyric acid. In vitro regenerated plants with well-developed roots were successfully
acclimatized in the small pots containing sterile garden soil and sand (1:1), followed by
transfer to the large pot containing garden soil. Finally, plants were successfully established in the field. The biochemical fidelity, in terms of secondary metabolites,
was checked for tissue culture raised-field established plant vis-à-vis mother plant.