Abstract:
Axillary buds collected from seedlings of Veteria Mica L., the recalcitrant Malabar white pine,
were cultured under in vitro conditions with the objective of standardising the micropropagation technique
for this species. A few media combinations consisting of full and half strength mineral salts of Murashige
and Skoog (MS) as well as woody plant medium (WPM) have been identified to be capable of supporting
culture establishment and bad break. Among these, the media containing half strength mineral salts of MS
supplemented with organic nutrients and growth regulators alone supported elongation and continued growth
of shoots. Shoots were 1-2 cm in height with 2-3 leaves in eight weeks under controlled conditions with
16 h photoperiod at a temperature of 27+2" C. The success obtained is the first of this kind in this species.
