Preliminary study of in vitro propagation of a selected high yielding clone of kacip fatimah (Labisia pumila VAR. alata)

Abstract

Kacip Fatimah (Labisia pumila), an undershrub herb from the Myrsinaceae family, is traditionally used as medicine, particularly by Malay women during post-natal care. The development of L. pumila as a medicinal herb has led to its commercialization and increasing demand. To ensure its sustainable supply, the propagation of kacip Fatimah on a large scale such as through tissue culture needs to be explored. In this study, the leaves of a selected high yielding clone of kacip Fatimah, clone AA28, were used as explants. After surface sterilization, the explants were cultured on MS basal medium containing 0.5 mg/l NAA with different concentrations of BAP ranging from 0.05 to 0.15 mg/l for shoot induction. The explants cultured in MS medium containing 0.5 mg/l NAA in combination with 0.05 mg/l BAP produced the highest mean number of shoots per explants (10 ± 0.1). The shoot multiplication study is in progress and will be reported in a future paper.