Effect of green bean sprout extract on in vitro shoot multiplication of taro Colocasia esculenta L. var. antiquorum

Abstract

Japanese taro Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott var. antiquorum is a good export-valued food commodity and is being developed in Indonesia. Lack of availability of taro seedling is one of a limiting factor in development of Japanese taro. In vitro propagation is an alternative to obtain seeds in large quantities and in a relatively short time. In vitro culture is very dependent on composition of media used, especially growth regulators. This study aims to determine effect and to find optimum concentration of green bean sprout extracts Phaseolus radiatus in shoot multiplication of Japanese taro through in vitro. Plantlet were derived from cultures with ± 3 weeks of age. MS media was supplemented with different concentrations of green bean sprout extracts for shoot multiplication experiments. The concentration was used is 0; 0.5; 1; 1.5; 2 ppm and MS + NAA 1.5 ppm + 1.5 ppm BAP as a comparison of synthetic hormones. The parameters observation were number of shoots, wet weight and percentage of live explants. The results showed that MS media with supplemented of 1.5 ppm green bean sprout extract was optimum concentration in Taro shoot multiplication. Therefore, green bean sprout extract can be used as natural growth regulator in media of Taro shoot multiplication.