XVI International Botanical Congess

Taxonomists have made the greatest contribution to the cataloguing of rare and endangered plants which serves as base line informationfor their conservation. According to IUCN threatened planats committee report, about 10% of the world's flowering plants are dangerously rare or under threat. In India about 10% of the flowering plants remain threat and 25% species will become rare by the year 2000A.D. In Peninsular India about 521 plant species are considered rare, of whcih 410 inclusding 235 endemics belong to Wesern Ghats. Plants like Solanum indicum (Asthma &leucoderama), Whithania somnifera (Rheumatism & nervous disorders), Baliospermum montaine (jaundice & anemia), Adenia hondala (Rheumatism & diuretic)) and Justicaia beddomei (Asthama & diarrhoea are considered rare owing to anthropogenic cuases, shrinkage of niches and reproductive inefficincey. In the present study attempts have beenb made to consev thsse species through in bitro propagation and resotre them in the natural havitats. Nodal segments and your shoot tips were used as explants for in vitro multiplication. Muurashige and Dkoog medium (1962) supplemented with differient concentrations of cytokinin like BAP was used for shoot initiation. Maximum shoot induction was achieved in four weeks old cultue period., Regenerated shootlets were excises into singel node and mutliplied on th same medium supplemented with appropriae conscentration of BAP. Multiple shootlets weere excised into singel shootlet nd were rooted. For root induction, the regenerated shoots were put into the 1/2 MS medium supplemented with different concetrations of auxins like IAA, IBA and NAA. The in vitro seedlings were tranferred to mist-chamber for hardening and later reintroduced into the natural havitats. Attempts have also veen amade to acieve regeneratiuon through callus established with young plant parts.