Micropropagation of curry leaf tree

Abstract

Murraya koenigii (curry leaf tree) is cultivated for its aromatic leaves which are used as condiment. Nodal cuttings from mature curry leaf plants cultured in Woody plant basal medium (WPM) supplemented with 4.4 µM benzyladenine (BA) and 4.65 µM kinetin produced 12-30 multiple shoots per node by the eighth week of inoculation. The shoots easily rooted in vitro in woody plant medium contained naphthalene acetic acid 1.35 µM NAA. Ninety percent of the plants survived transfer to a hardening chamber and were transferred to the field after three months. In vitro-developed shoots were also rooted ex vitro by dipping in 2.46 µM indole-3-butyric acid for one minute. They were transplanted to sand in a hardening chamber with 70-80% relative humidity and a temperature of 28±2 °C. Eighty to ninety percent of the ex vitro-rooted plants survived and were transferred to the field after 3 months.