Exploring and Optimising the Potential of Ginger (<i>Zingiber </i><i>officinale </i><i>Rea</i>) Tissue Culture for Crop Conservation and Sustainable Agriculture in Samoa

Tissue culture offers a promising solution for preserving ginger (Zingiber officinale Rea) genetic resources and promoting sustainable agricultural practices in Samoa. This study aimed to refine tissue culture techniques to enhance local ginger propagation, focusing on the use of organic additives and plant growth regulators for rapid multiplication and disease-free plant production. The process began with the cultivation of a single axillary bud on Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal medium, successfully generating a sterile and pathogen-free explant. The incorporation of 6-Benzylaminopurine (BAP) at 2.5 mg/L led to an increase to eight buds within 12 weeks. Over seven months, this methodology resulted in the production of more than 360 buds, highlighting the effectiveness of the medium formulation. Given ginger’s susceptibility to fungal and bacterial contamination, obtaining sterile explants was critical for successful propagation. Sodium hypochlorite proved to be an effective and less toxic sterilization agent, ensuring clean plant materials and enabling an efficient scaling-up process. The findings demonstrate the potential of tissue culture to produce disease-free ginger planting stock, which is crucial for sustainable agriculture in Samoa. This research also underscores the importance of optimising media formulations, including the use of organic additives like coconut water as a natural substitute for commercial growth regulators such as BAP. While these results align with previous studies, there is room for improvement in sterilisation protocols and media composition. Future research should explore the scalability of these methods and further refine organic alternatives to enhance propagation outcomes. This study provides valuable insights into the sustainable cultivation and conservation of ginger in Samoa, contributing to the broader goals of agricultural development and food security [1].