Culture Techniques | Agarwood | Cinnamon | Elemi | Champaca | Key Lime | Nutmeg | Sandalwood | Avocado
Tissue culture of Santalum album (Indian sandalwood) is a promising method for mass propagation, especially since the species is slow-growing and increasingly threatened in the wild. Here’s a summarized overview of its tissue culture protocol:
Tissue Culture Protocol for Santalum album
1. Explant Selection:
- Source: Juvenile shoot tips, nodal segments, or immature embryos
- Best Results: Actively growing apical meristems from seedlings
2. Surface Sterilization:
- Rinse explants with sterile distilled water
- Dip in 70% ethanol (30 seconds)
- Treat with 0.1%–0.2% HgCl₂ or 0.5% sodium hypochlorite for 5–10 mins
- Rinse 3–4 times with sterile water
3. Initiation Medium:
- MS medium (Murashige & Skoog) supplemented with:
- 2–3 mg/L BAP (Benzylaminopurine)
- 0.1 mg/L NAA (Naphthaleneacetic acid)
- Objective: Bud break and shoot induction
4. Shoot Multiplication:
- Transfer shoots to MS medium with:
- 1–2 mg/L BAP
- Add kinetin for enhanced multiplication (optional)
- Subculture every 3–4 weeks
5. Rooting:
- Half-strength MS or WPM (Woody Plant Medium) with:
- 1–2 mg/L IBA (Indole-3-butyric acid)
- Activated charcoal (0.2–0.5%) for better rooting
- Root induction may take 2–4 weeks
6. Acclimatization:
- Transfer rooted plantlets to cocopeat:sand or peat:vermiculite mixture
- Maintain high humidity under a mist chamber or transparent dome
- Gradually expose to ambient conditions over 2–4 weeks
Special Notes:
- Santalum album is a hemiparasite, so successful field establishment may require co-planting with a host plant like Casuarina, Acacia, or Alternanthera.
- Micropropagated plants must be hardened carefully before field transfer.