Comparative Three Years Field Study of Planting Material Generated Through Tissue Culture and Conventional Fasciculated Root of Safed Musli

Aims: The present study was aimed to investigate comparison between conventional and tissue culture raised plantlets of safed musli at field condition. Study Design: The experiment was laid out in completely randomized block design with 8 repetitions. Place and Duration of Study: The experiment was conducted during the kharif season for three consecutive years (2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21) at Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Research Station, Anand Agricultural University, Anand, Gujarat. Methodology: Uniform sizes of single sprouted fasciculated root and 30-35 days old secondary hardened plantlets were used as conventional planting materials and tissue culture raised plantlets respectively. Morpho-physiological parameters at 30, 60 and 90 days after transplanting and yield and quality attributing parameters were recorded after harvesting. Results: The analysis of variance exhibited that significant difference among the planting materials during the individual years in most of the parameters. Conventional planting materials produced more vigorous growth behaviour in terms of leaves per plant, chlorophyll content and leaf area than tissue culture raised. Maximum number of fasciculated root per plant (13.72), length (9.43 cm), girth (2.70 cm), fresh (21.31 g) and dry (3.03 g) weight with greater dry recovery rate (14.99 %) and saponin content (2.16 %) was exhibited in conventional planting materials. The same planting materials were also registered higher survival rate (80.59 %) at field condition than tissue culture raised (59.38 %) planting material. Conclusion: Therefore, it is suggested that conventional plating materials to be choose for safed musli cultivation in kharif season for greater survival and higher yield. There is a need to be strengthening the present in vitro protocol and acclimatization process of safed musli.