Influence of amino acids on in vitro flowering of <i>Rauvolfia tetraphylla L.</i>

Rauvolfia tetraphylla L. is an endangered medicinal plant, widely used in both traditional and modern medicine to cure various ailments. The flowers of R. tetraphylla are used in the treatment of asthma along with leaves by the tribes of Tamil Nadu. The present study was undertaken with an objective to study the effect of amino acids on flowering response in Rauvolfia tetraphylla L. The nodal explants were collected and tested for in vitro flowering response by using medium prepared with MS nutrient salts and B5 vitamins with different concentrations of GA3 along with 4.44 µM BA. BA at 4.44 µM and GA3 at 4.441 µM concentration produced more flower buds than the other tested concentrations. Proline at 0.66 mM concentration, along with the above said phytohormones combination induced 5.24 floral buds per explant from the node explants with 78% response within ten days of culture. This protocol may help for the continuous supply of flowers that are useful in herbal formulation preparations, moreover, flowers are produced within a short period time.