Successful Micropropagation of critically endangered <i>Thymus bovei</i> Benth: a Wild Medicinal Plant Strictly Endemic to the Jordanian Environment

Creeping Thyme, known as Thymus bovei or locally referred to as Zateer Barry, is a critically endangered native plant species in Jordan, renowned for its exceptional healing properties. This study aims to establish a reliable micropropagation technique to prevent T. bovei from extinction. The research focused on examining the establishment, shoot multiplication, rooting, callus induction, and acclimatization of T. bovei. Explants were established in half-strength Murashige and Skoog (MS) media with gibberellic acid (GA3) at concentrations of 0.0, 0.5, and 1.0 mg/L. The highest shooting percentage (90%) was recorded with 0.5 mg/L GA3. Successful shoot multiplication was achieved by subculturing nodal segments onto half-strength MS media with kinetin (KIN), thidiazuron (TDZ), or benzylaminopurine (BA) at various concentrations plus 2.5 mg/L KIN and 0.5 mg/L GA3. Rooting was most effective on half-strength MS media with 1.0 mg/L indole-3-butyric acid (IBA), yielding an average of 5.29 roots per microshoot. The highest callus development, measured by fresh weight (0.601g), occurred in half-strength MS media with 2.0 mg/L 2,4-D, while no callus formed with naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA). Acclimatized plants showed a 90% survival rate when transferred to greenhouse conditions.