Effect of Growth Regulators on Direct Shoot Formation from Leaf Explant and Antioxidant Activity of in situ and in vitro Plants of Cadaba fruticosa - An Endemic Medicinal Plant

The present study aimed to develop an efficient simple and reproducible in vitro propagation technique for an multipurpose endangered medicinal plant Cadaba fruticosa (L.) Druce. Multiple shoot formation was observed from the surface sterilized leaf segments of mature plant through direct regeneration on Murashige and Skoog medium containing 13.32 µM benzyl amino purine (BAP), 1.16 µM kinetin (KIN) and 1.35 µM α naphthalene acetic acid (NAA). The in vitro regenerated shoots were rooted in MS medium supplemented with NAA (2.68 µM) with 95% response. The plantlets were successfully hardened in the decomposed coir waste and compost combination with 85% survival rate. Antioxidant activity of the in situ leaf and in vitro plants through DPPH and FRAP assay confirmed the similarity.