Regeneration of whole plants from cultured root tips of Limnophila indica

Abstract
Root tips (1 cm long) were excised from in vitro grown plants of Limnophila indica (L.) Druce and cultured in liquid medium with 2% sucrose. The explants floated horizontally on the surface of the medium; they became green, and their tips started to grow geotropically into the medium. Four to six shoot buds each were differentiated in 84.5% of the cultures in 4 weeks. Subsequently, shoot buds covered the surface of the bent part of the root and portions above and below it. No buds were formed at the cut end or near the growing root tip. Buds failed to differentiate in roots in which the apex was not growing. Histological studies of the roots showed that the buds originated from proliferating cortical cells, which had prominent chloroplasts and starch grains. The shoot buds grew into entire plants which flowered eventually.