Philippine pitcher plant studied for mass clonal propagation

The tropical pitcher plant (Nepenthes truncata) is currently in great demand especially among collectors and hobbyists. This surging demand could lead to its endangerment. Since there is a very little knowledge on the propagation and handling of this plant,most often,the collected plants simply die.The Philippines particularly Mindanao, is one of the center of development for the tropical pitcher plant. With its growing international market, the Philippines can benefit by developing technologies needed for propagation, breeding, and cultivation of this carnivorous plant. Rasco et al; (UP Mindanao) conducted a study on saving and using this plant to explore the possibilities of reintroducing the in vitro-produced plantlets in selected locations in their natural habitat. Using N. truncata as the model organism, conservation and sustainable use of endangered and endemic plants of Mindanao will be better understood.Findings of the study revealed the following: The in vitro clonal propagation through callus induction was successfully achieved with the incorporation of plant growth regulators, the combination of NAA and TDZ, and the use of leaf explant being most effective. In all replicates, explants with TDZ and NAA treatment combinations, as well as the treatments containing TDZ alone, were able to develop callus within 28 days. In cases of unavailable seeds, mass clonal propagation by way of callus induction can be done using explants from stored germplasms. Regeneration from callus is important when more rapid propagation of a certain clone is desired for commercial and conservation purposes. The use of sphagnum moss in the potting media for medium-sized plantlets grown ex-situ was clearly demonstrated as advantageous in field propagation studies. However, further studies should be conducted to test for symbiotic relationships between sphagnum moss and N. truncata plantlets. The study suggested that further refinements in the methods, such as use of lab-grown plantlets for uniformity in size, use of stem cutting-derived plantlets from a single mother plant for uniformity in genotypes, and increased number of replicates can be introduced in future experiments to increase data reliability. Researchers of the study also surmised that the kind of conservation work needs long-term commitment, along with financial and political support from academic institutions, horticulture associations, concerned government agencies, and the local people.