In vitro flowering of Withania somnifera Dunal.-An important antitumor medicinal plant

In vitro flowering, in vitro fruiting and effective micropropagation protocol were studied in Withania somnifera, an antitumor medicinal plant using axillary bud explants. The Murashige and Skoog's medium (MS) supplemented with N6-benzyl adenine (BA) 2.0 mg l−1 and α-naphthalene acetic acid 0.1 mg l−1 was found optimum for production of multiple shoots. The regenerated plantlets were found to form tiny green floral buds after 4-6 weeks of culture in MS medium supplemented with Kinetin (0.5-4.0 mg l−1) and indole-3-acetic acid (0.1 mg l−1). In vitro fruiting was observed in the presence of Kn (2.0 mg l−1) and IAA (0.1 mg l−1). This paper describes in vitro flowering system to overcome problems associated with flower growth and development as well as fruit and seed production in vitro.