COST EFFECTIVE IN VITRO MICROPROPAGATION PROTOCOL FOR CONSERVATION OF PLANT RESOURCES WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO IMPORTANT MEDICINAL PLANTS

Medicinal plants are the most important source of life-saving drugs for the majority of the world’s population. India is a rich storehouse of medicinal plant resources. But population explosion and increased anthropogenic activities are now rapidly eroding natural ecosystems. The natural habitat for a great number of herbs, shrubs and trees are dwindling and many of them are facing extinction. Today, they require some urgent attention and conservation measures. The biotechnological tools are important to select, multiply and conserve the critical genotypes of the plants. In vitro micropropagation of medicinal plants holds tremendous potential for the production of high-quality plant-based medicines. As micropropagation technology is more expensive than the conventional methods of plant propagation therefore sometimes the unit cost per plant becomes unaffordable. In view of the above, a cost effective micropropagation protocol has been developed successfully using both conventional and unconventional low cost alternatives for the conservation of important medicinal plants resources.