Tissue culture of Jatropha curcas

Tissue culture of Jatropha curcas can be established using both juvenile and mature tissues in Modified Murashige and Skoog media (Lapitan 1988) supplemented with varying auxins (IAA, IBA, NAA), cytokinins (Kinetin and BAP) and gibberellins in varying concentrations and combinations. Plantlets can be produced by rooting the shoots formed either through direct multishoot induction or through the callus route. Initial outplanting of plantlets was not very successful. Only very few were able to survive. The sterilization of seeds for in vitro germination involving the immersion of seeds in 5% calcium hypochlorite for 10 min was effective. Tissues collected from the nursery and adult plants in the field can be sterilized using 2%. Manzate for 30 min and 5% calcium hypochlorite for 20 min. Younger leaf tissues were successfully sterilized for shorter duration, 20 min. The most responsive tissue to shoot multiplication is the leaf tissue followed by stem explants though all tissues from seedlings can initiate shoot formation. Cultures of Jatropha from mature plants/adult plants formed shots later by 1 1/2 months than tissues from seedlings. Two types of shoot formation were observed in this study. The direct shoot development and the development of 'embryonic shoot'. Somatic embryogenesis of callus in medium coded M22 was observed. Shoot growth was enhanced in culture medium with gibberellic acid. Shoots were big enough for rooting after 2 weeks. The increase in sucrose content of the culture medium from 2% to 3% increased the number of shoots of the cultures. Of the eight culture media that induced shoot development of cultures, the medium coded M18 registered the highest number of culture farming shoots. Rooting of shoots appeared to be favored in the medium with activated charcoal. The culture medium coded M20 was also observed to induce rooting though rooting in this medium needs improvement. Many of the shoots cultured in M20 formed callus more than roots and roots developed in the callus formed not in the shoot. Callus readily formed in all types of tissues in all media tested. The development of shoots in M22 from these calli opens an opportunity for the development of a working system by which Jatropha improvement can be effected through tissue culture.