Assessment of variability in the regenerants from long-term cultures of 'safed musli' (Chlorophytum borivilianum)

Somatic embryogenesis in long-term calluses of seedling and leaf explants, obtained from in vitro grown plants of Chlorophytum borivilianum—an endangered medicinal herb, has been achieved. Large number of plants were established in the field and evaluated for variability among the regenerants. The plantlets obtained through seedling-derived embryonic callus showed high level of morphological and cytological variations, which increased with the increase in age of cultures. Occasionally, variegated plants were also observed. Variation in leaf size, stomatal number, epidermal cell size and chromosomal number was observed in regenerants. Chromosomal variation was the least (3X-3 to 3X+3) in regenerants from 1 to 4-month-old cultures and increased (5X-1 to 7X) with the age in regenerants from cultures older than 6 months. Alternatively, regenerated plants from somatic embryos recurrently obtained from leaf explants showed very little variation (0.62%) in RAPD fingerprinting. However, further improvement in somatic embryogenesis is required for domestication of the plant using biotechnological method of propagation.