Encapsulation technology for short-term storage and conservation of a woody climber, Decalepis hamiltonii Wight and Arn.

An efficient protocol was developed for short-term storage and conservation of a woody medicinal climber, Decalepis hamiltonii, using encapsulated nodal segments. The encapsulation of nodal segments was significantly affected by the concentrations of sodium alginate (Na-alginate) and calcium chloride (CaCl2 center dot 2H(2)O). A gelling matrix of 4 % Na-alginate and 100 mM CaCl2 center dot 2H(2)O was found most suitable for the production of ideal Ca-alginate beads. Maximum shoot re-growth (77.00 +/- A 2.09 %) was recorded on Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal medium supplemented with 5.0 mu M 6-benzyladenine (BA), 0.5 mu M indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and 30.0 mu M adenine-sulphate (ADS). Microshoots, recovered from encapsulated nodal segments (capsule) were best rooted on half-strength MS medium containing 2.5 mu M alpha-naphthalene acetic acid (NAA). Complete plantlets (with shoot and root) were successfully acclimatized and established in field where they grew well without any detectable variation.