The 2009 ASHS Annual Conference

Dionaea muscipula Ellis commonly known as Venus fly trap is an important carnivorous plant with medicinal importance. It contains certain secondary metabolites like naphthoquinones and is used in anti-aids and anti-cancer drugs and other medicines called as “Carnivora”. Increasing interest and use as an ornamental and medicinal plant and have put it in an endangered state. Development of in vitro techniques for the preservation of germplasm that is on the brink of extinction is highly demanded. A regeneration protocol for the multiplication and micropropagation of Dionaea muscipla Ellis was established. In vitro regeneration potential of leaf explants in different concentrations and combinations of plant growth substances was investigated in this study. Leaf disc explants were excised and cultured under aseptic conditions on nutritional medium containing half strength Murashige and Skoog (MS) mix with combinations of 1.0-20.0µΜ BA, 2.5.0µΜ IBA, 1.0-10.0µΜ 2iP and 0.1-0.5µΜ TDZ. The cultures were kept in growth cabinet with cool white light (40-60m.mol.m^-2.s^-1) under 16-h photoperiod. Regeneration was recorded after 60 days with the intervals of 15 days based on the degree of shoot organogenesis and somatic embryogenesis. 1/2 MS + 0.1 TDZ appeared to be efficient for somatic embryogenesis and simple 1/2 MS for direct shoot organogenesis. 1/2 MS combined with 2iP appeared to be efficient for regeneration either by direct shoot organogenesis or by somatic embryogenesis. Plants were rooted well in Cape Cundew medium and all of the plants were acclimatized and survived in greenhouse conditions. These investigations will aid in the development of a model system for clonal mass propagation and in vitro regeneration of Dionaea muscipla Ellis.