Genetic Fidelity and in vitro Studies Using Molecular Markers in Salt Stress Ginger (Zingiber officinale Rosc.)

Ginger (Zingiber officinale Rosc.) is one of the important spices commonly used for its aroma and flavor in the food, confectionary, and pharmaceutical industries. The current study deals with the comparative regeneration of ginger rhizome explants with different concentrations of hormones and NaCl salt stress conditions to find out salt-tolerant plants from in vitro and in vivo environments. Callus induction was rapid in MS media containing IAA (0.5 mg/L) and NAA (1.0 mg/L), whereas shoot induction and multiplication showed the maximum regeneration with 1.0 mg/L (BAP) and 1.5 mg/L (IAA) after 2 weeks of subculture. NaCl salt tolerance was evaluated by the ability of the callus to maintain its growth under different concentrations, ranging from (0 mM to 300 mM). The maximum salt-tolerant callus from 200 mM NaCl was regenerated in MS medium fortified with a suitable growth hormone combination of NAA (1.0 mg/L) and BAP (1.5 mg/L). Similarly, we observed a significant stress tolerance in vivo study up to (300 mM) concentration for 30 days. The control plant showed a high value of total chlorophyll compared to other salt-stressed plants. The genetic fidelity of the micropropagated plants was tested by ISSR (Inter Simple Sequence Repeat) selective molecular markers. Even uniform banding patterns suggest the genetic uniformity of micropropagated plants of in vivo and in vitro plants with respect to its mother plants. Conversely, the banding patterns of the salt-stressed plants differed from those of the control plants. These findings provide novel perspectives on crop improvement and enhancement of salt stress tolerance for the cultivar.