A RESEARCH ON MICROPROPAGATION OF THE WHITE TURMERIC (Curcuma aromatica Salisb.)

The number of published researches on micro propagation of white turmeric (Curcuma aromatica Salisb.) is low though the drawbacks of the traditional method of cultivating this plant were clearly demonstrated. Therefore, the aim of the present research is creating a supplementary method of producing in vitro white turmeric plantlets belonging to the variety which has been perennially cultivated in Vietnam. It is indicated by this study that the maximum percentage of alive sprouts being 61.11% was obtained after immersing the explants in 0.1% HgCl2 for 14 minutes. However, the long time of exposing to 0.1% HgCl2 had inhibitory effect on shoot regeneration of sterilized explants, with only 3.5 shoots being produced in the MS medium supplemented with 2.0 mg/l BAP. This low quantity of shoots could be approximately doubled by culturing the regenerated shoots in the optimal medium for shoot multiplication, which contained 3.0 mg/l kinetin and 1.5 mg/l NAA, with the average number of multiplied shoots being 7.67. The highest numbers of roots, which are 13.57 and 10.60, observed in the MS media containing 2.0 mg/l NAA and 0.5 mg/l IBA respectively, have proven the positive effects of NAA and IBA on root induction of multiplied white turmeric shoots.