In Vitro Regeneration of Foxtail Millet (Setaria italica (L.) Beauv.) cv. Buru Hotong

In vitro regeneration of foxtail millet (Setaria italica (L.) Beauv.) was done using basal shoot explants of 10-day old seedlings. Explants were cultured in MS basal medium supplemented with 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), kinetin, 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) and 1.5 ppm NiSO4. Shoot multiplication and root induction were done in Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal media. Plantlets were then acclimatized in rice husk charcoal, cocopeat, or mixed media. Results showed that MS basal medium containing 0.5 ppm kinetin, 2 ppm BAP, and 0.1 ppm 2,4-D was the optimal medium for shoot induction, in which 60% of explants developed direct shoot organogenesis. In addition, callus was optimally formed in MS medium supplemented by 1 ppm kinetin, 1 ppm BAP, and 0.5 ppm 2,4-D. Regenerated shoots spontaneously developed roots after being transferred into MS basal media without growth regulator. During acclimatization, the highest survival rate of plantlets (47%) was obtained in rice husk charcoal. The developed method could be useful towards improvement of this species using in vitro tissue culture techniques