Rapid Micropropagation Protocol of Mucuna pruriens var. utilis using Cotyledonary Node Explant: A Cultivated Medicinal Edible Legume

Background: The presence of L-dopa coupled with rich protein and amino acid marked Mucuna pruriens var. utilis as an important under-utilised legume. Therefore, it is useful to develop a method for large-scale multiplication for commercial production.Methods: Tissue culture technology is successfully utilized in propagation of plants with poor and uncertain response to conventional propagation. Murashige and Skoog's (MS) medium without any plant growth regulators (PGRs) was used for seed germination and with PGRs for shoot and root multiplication.Result: Highest 95% seed germination was found in fresh seeds at 7-8 days of culture. Shoot multiplication percentage was found to be 100% with highest c.a. 21.1 shoots with an average 4.8 cm shoot length on MS + BAP 1.5 mg L-1 per 10 days old cotyledonary node explant. A total c.a. 144 shoots were harvested after 3rd harvest of the mother cotyledonary node with two whole cotyledons at day 70. Rooting was best induced in in vitro derived shoots on 1/8 MS medium without any PGRs and plantlets were acclimatized in sand and soil (1:1) and established in pot with garden soil.