In vitro PROPAGATION OF Amomum villosum Lour. (ZINGIBERACEAE)

Abstract

Amomum villosum Lour. (Zingiberaceae) is a valuable medicinal plant widely used in traditional medicine. Its fruits contain essential oils rich in bioactive compounds, including camphene, β-pinene, limonene, camphor, borneol and saponins, which exhibit antibacterial activity. This study aimed to evaluate the in vitro propagation of A. villosum. Rhizome explants bearing shoot buds were sterilized with 0.05% HgCl₂ for 13 minutes, resulting in the highest proportion of clean explants (87.78%) and a bud emergence rate of 55.56%. The optimal explant preparation method involved longitudinally splitting individual shoot buds and placing them horizontally with the cut surface in contact with the culture medium. Culturing 5 - 7 explants per vessel produced the highest regeneration efficiency, with an average of 3.02 shoots per cluster after 30 days. Maximum shoot regeneration was achieved on MS medium supplemented with 1.0 mg/L BAP and 1.0 mg/L KIN, yielding 5.32 shoots per cluster and an average shoot length of 6.32 cm after 40 - 45 days. During acclimatization, the most suitable potting substrate consisted of 50% alluvial soil, 30% river sand and 20% burnt rice husk, resulting in a survival rate of 91.11% and an average plant height of 7.0 cm after 30 days in the nursery.