CONSERVATION OF RET ORCHID SPECIES OF WESTERN GHATS REGION OF KODAGU DISTRICT, KARNATAKA STATE: Studies on Microhabitat, Morphological Characteristics, and Micropropagation of Selected Species
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Date
2021-07-30
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University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore
Abstract
An investigation was conducted to study the Microhabitat, Morphological characteristics, and Micropropagation of selected RET orchid species. Among the species studied in Western Ghat belts of Kodagu region, many species of Dendrobium, Bulbophyllum sterile, Rhynchostylis retusa, and Pholidota imbricata were found settled on a wide range of host trees but had a higher abundance on select native species such as Ficus mysorensis, Careya arborea, Mangifera indica, and Nothopegia racemosa. In the present study, most species studied for morphological characteristics were from tribe Malaxideae. In studies in vitro, PLBs were best initiated on half-strength semi-solid MS media. Among the different orchid sp., Dendrobium ovatum produced PLBs at the earliest (20 days) after culture initiation on nutrient media. Number of shoots (11.20) their length (5.20 cm) and number of leaves (6.40) were maximum in cultures raised on media containing 2 mg L-1 of 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) with constant 0.5 mg L-1 Naphthalene Acetic Acid (NAA) in Dendrobium heterocarpum and Polystachya. concreta and Dendrobium macrostachyum at 90 days after culture. Investigations using coconut water (CW) as an organic adjuvant at a concentration 15 per cent (along with BAP) showed very promising results (3.40 days) in enhancing formation of protomeristem from seeds of Dendrobium ovatum cultured. In MS media with coconut water 15 per cent registered maximum (12.80) shoots in Dendrobium
heterocarpum. The longest shoot length (5.84 cm) and number of leaves (8.60) were recorded in media supplemented with 2.0 mg L-1 BAP + 0.5 mg L-1 NAA and CW 15 per cent in Polystachya concreta and Dendrobium heterocarpum. The first visible root was noted in media containing 2 mg L-1 Idolebutyric acid (IBA) at 8 days after root initiation in Dendrobium ovatum. Among all the species studied longest (7.20 cm) root length was recorded in Dendrobium macrostachyum in media supplemented with 1 mg L-1 IBA at 90 days after root initiation. The results of the studies presented here have implications for the conservation of RET orchid species Western Ghats kodagu district.