INFLUENCE OF ZINC NANOPARTICLES AND SUCROSE CONCENTRATIONS ON CURCUMA LONGA GROWTH AND RHIZOMES FORMATION

This research investigates the influence of zinc nanoparticles and sucrose concentrations and photoperiod durations on the micropropagation of Curcuma longa and rhizomes formation. The study was conducted in three primary stages: the establishment stage and the multiplication stage and rhizomes formation stage. During the establishment stage, various concentrations of zinc nanoparticles (20, 30, 40, and 50 mg l-1) were tested in both MS-free medium and supplemented with 1.0 mg l-1 TDZ, allowing for an analysis of their effects on plant growth parameters such as shoot and root development. The multiplication stage focused on examining the effects of sucrose concentrations (30, 60, and 90 gl-1) and different photoperiod durations (8, 16, and 24 hours) on critical growth indicators including the number of branches, plantlet length. And rhizome formation stage, examined the interaction between different sucrose concentrations (0,30, 60, and 90 g/L) and photoperiod durations (8, 16, and 24 hours) on the rhizomes formation . Results indicated that the combination of 40 mg l-1 of zinc nanoparticles with 30 gl-1 of sucrose and a photoperiod of 16 hours significantly enhanced growth parameters and photoperiod duration 8 hours and sucrose at 60 gl-1.recorded the highest value of no. of rhizoms. These findings underscore the importance of optimizing tissue culture conditions to improve the propagation efficiency of Curcuma longa.