article · Biotechnology & Biotechnological Equipment
Researchers established an in vitro propagation and medium-term storage protocol for three medicinal plant species collected from Taif governorate: Capparis spinosa, Lavandula dentata, and Rhazya stricta. Initial propagation systems for C. spinosa and L. dentata utilised axillary buds cultured on Murashige and Skoag media supplemented with varying combinations of auxins and cytokinins. For conservation, shoot tips and nodal buds from cultured plants were tested across eighteen slow-growth media treatments. After twelve months of storage, C. spinosa and R. stricta achieved their highest survival rates, exceeding 91 percent, on media containing ten grams per litre each of sucrose and sorbitol. Meanwhile, L. dentata achieved a 90 percent survival rate on media containing fifteen grams per litre of sucrose and ten grams per litre of sorbitol. Random amplified polymorphic DNA analysis confirmed that the preserved species retained high genetic stability throughout the conservation period.
Endemic and rare medicinal plants face threats from habitat loss and overexploitation. Developing reliable ex situ conservation methods allows botanical institutions and researchers to safeguard valuable plant genetic resources. Demonstrating that simple osmotic agents can maintain plant survival and genetic fidelity for a full year offers a practical route to preserving biodiversity without requiring continuous and labour-intensive subculturing.
This research provides applied tissue culture protocols that could serve agricultural biotechnologists, conservation gene banks, and commercial nurseries propagating medicinal flora. By identifying specific media that maintain viable, genetically stable plantlets for twelve months, the work supports low-maintenance germplasm banking. The findings represent early-stage to applied laboratory protocols, requiring testing at scale before deployment in commercial plant nurseries or routine industrial germplasm management.
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Medium-term storage for some medicinal plant species collected from Taif governorate was developed. First, the establishment of in vitro propagation system for Caper (Capparis spinosa L) and Lavender (Lavandula dentata L.) plants was studied using axillary buds as explants. Murashige and Skoag (MS) salts with different concentrations and combinations of auxins and cytokinens were used. Second, Shoot tips and nodal buds from in vitro culture plants (C. spinosa L, L. dentata L and Rhazya stricta Decne) were used as explants for in vitro conservation experiments. Eighteen different treatments were used as slow growth medium. After 12 months from conservation, in R. stricta Decne and C. spinosa L a highest percentage of survival rates (91.1% and 93.33%), respectively, were observed on MS + 10 g/L sucrose + 10 g/L sorbitol. However, in L. dentata L the highest percentage of survival rate (90%) was noted on MS + 15 g/L sucrose +10 g/L sorbitol. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis indicated high genetic stability of preserved plant species under investigation. These results suggested that, in vitro conservation using full strength MS salts with low concentrations of sucrose and sorbitol as a carbon source and osmotic agent, respectively, is a suitable slow growth medium for in vitro conservation of C. spinosa L, L. dentata and R. stricta Decne plants.
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DOI: 10.1080/13102818.2017.1356690
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