EfficientIn VitroPropagation byEx VitroRooting Methods ofArtemisia absinthiumL., an Ethnobotanically Important Plant

Artemisia absinthium is an important medicinal plant. Owing to the increasing anthropogenic activities and demand from the pharmaceutical industry, this plant species is overexploited; thereby this endangered its genetic stock in the wild. Therefore, it is urgently needed to develop nonconventional methods for conservation of A. absinthium. Nodal segments obtained from the field grown 2-month-old plants were used as explants. Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium containing 0.5 mg/L 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) and 0.25 mg/L kinetin (Kn) were reported to be optimum for induction of shoots (6.0 ± 0.52 shoots per explant). The shoots were multiplied by repeated transfer of original explants and by subculturing of in vitro raised shoots on MS medium augmented with 1.0 mg/L each of BAP and Kn and 0.1 mg/L α-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA). All in vitro regenerated shoots (100%) were rooted (4.4 ± 0.35 roots) on one-fourth strength MS medium supplemented with 2.0 mg/L indole-3 butyric acid (IBA). Cent percentage shoots rooted ex vitro on sterile Soilrite under the greenhouse conditions when the shoots were treated with 200 mg/L of IBA for 5 min. Plantlets rooted in vitro and ex vitro were acclimatized successfully in the greenhouse and exhibited 87% and 95% survival rate