Micropropagation of yew through tissue culture technique; a conservation approach

Yews are an important medicinal plant species in the genus Taxus. It has high importance due to the presence of Taxol, a well-known anti-cancer drug, used for the treatment of ovarian and breast cancer. Due to its slow growth and long seed dormancy period of 1.5-2 years, its natural regeneration is slow. In the current research, we developed an in-vitro propagation system to aid in conserving this species. The various plant tissues were excised from field-grown trees and kept moist at 4 ̊C until they were brought to the lab. We conclude that the best sterilization is possible only by treating explants with 70% ethanol for 2 min followed by 35% of bleach for 10 min. Indole Butyric Acid (IBA) 100 and 200 mg/L were the best dozes that showed a high number of rooting with IBA 200 mg/L→Days to Root Initiation (DTRI)=87 days, and IBA 100 mg/L→DTRI=52 and 55 days. In comparison, the growth of the shoots was found as? IBA 200 mg/L→ Days to Shoots Initiation (DTSI)=14d, while that of IBA 100 mg/L→DTSI=14d was noticed weekly up to the sixth week of culturing. Hence it is proved that viable, rooted plantlets of H. yew can be produced In vitro using MS media supplemented with IBA, which shows the emergence of the adventitious roots by keeping the explants for a longer time in media. (author)