AN EFFICIENT AND IMPROVED MICROPROPAGATION METHOD OF RUMEX NERVOSUS: A VALUABLE MEDICINAL PLANT FROM SAUDI ARABIA

Rumex nervosus, a large annual herb is a member of the Polygonaceae family, It is an edible medicinal plant that shows antimicrobial and antioxidant activities and used in traditional medicine to treat various ailments. In this study, a new and improved in vitro propagation protocol was developed for R. nervosus. After 1 week of inoculation on plant growth regulator-free Gamborg's B-5 basal (B5) medium, significant seed germination reached 90%. The highest shoot multiplication rate was observed on B5 medium supplemented with 0.5-mu M benzylaminopurine (BAP); 7.8 shoots per explant). The maximum mean number of roots was obtained on B5 medium with 0.5-mu M 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (maximum number of roots: 29; mean value of root length: 5 cm). Plants were successfully acclimatized into plastic pots containing sterile soil and sand at a 1:1 ratio. Callus induction was best supported on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2.5 mu M) and BAP (0.1 mu M).