Micropropagation of Glossonema varians (Stocks) Benth. ex Hook.f.—a rare Asclepiadeae of Indian Thar Desert

In the present study, an in vitro regeneration protocol for Glossonema varians (Stocks) Benth. ex Hook.f. of family Asclepiadaceae was optimized. Cotyledonary nodes of in vitro cultured seedlings were used as explants for activation of axillary shoot buds. Axillary shoot buds were initially activated on 0.1 mg L−1 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) and then multiplied on 0.05 mg L−1 BAP. Shoots were rooted in vitro on 1/4 strength Murashige and Skoog medium containing 0.1 mg L−1 2-naphthoxyacetic acid and 100 mg L−1 activated charcoal. The cultures were maintained in a 12 h photoperiod at 40–50 μmol m−2 s−1 spectral flux photon, 25–30 ± 2°C, and 60% relative humidity (RH). Up to 80% of in vitro regenerated plantlets were acclimatized on soilrite in cotton-plugged culture tubes in the greenhouse. This protocol can be a useful method to mass propagate and conserve this rare plant to balance biodiversity in the desert ecosystem.