In vitro propagation of Homalomane occulta, A medicinal herb from Vietnam

Homalomane occulta (H. occulta) is an herbal plant with many great traditional medicinal values. In general, H. occulta is mainly propagated naturally from seeds or rhizomes, with a relatively low multiplication rate. They also have slow growth rates and depend highly on seasonal and weather conditions. Propagation using tissue culture was reported to have many advantages compared with traditional propagation methods. This research aims to study the in vitro propagation of H. occulta, a medicinal herb from Vietnam. Our study showed that the rhizome section carrying the bud is the most effective culture organ, sterilized with 0.1% HgCl2 for 8 minutes, which has an excellent disinfection effect and a high survival rate (82.87%). The suitable medium for in vitro shoot regeneration of H. occulta is MS medium with sucrose (30 g/L) and agar (8 g/L) supplemented with 4.0 mg/L BAP (2.10 shoots/explant). The appropriate medium for rapid multiplication and formation of shoot clusters and roots is essential MS medium supplemented with 1.0 mg/L TDZ (with 5.20 shoots/explant, 9.40 roots/shoot clumps). When transferred from an in vitro environment to an open garden, seedlings have a 100% survival rate.