Abstract

Dioscorea decipiens, a tuber crop, distributes in natural forests of Thailand. Micropropagation of D. decipiens can be used to establish mother clones of tuber seed stocks for commercial plantation. The study aimed to develop the root induction medium of D. decipiens tissue culture and to observe the survival rate after transplanting into the field of D. decipiens plantlets resulting from the incubation of IBA and activated charcoal supplemented MS culture medium. Shoot explants were inoculated onto formulated culture media for 90 days. The results showed that D. decipiens plantlets generated from medium combined 0.3 mg./l. IBA with 3% sucrose formed the highest root number. While the fresh weight of those cultured on medium supplemented with 0.3 mg./l. IBA and 4% sucrose were highest. The survival rate and growth of D. decipiens tissue culture derived seedlings determined at the 4th week after transplanting to nursery and at the 4th week after field transplantation were 90% or higher in every experimental group including IBA alone, the combination of IBA and activated charcoal and none of IBA and activated charcoal. However, the survived seedlings regenerating from IBA and activated charcoal supplement treatment yielded the least averages of stem length and leave number.