In Vitro Micropropagation and Flowering in Artemisia annua

A protocol for quick regeneration of a large number of plantlets of Artemisia annua (source of a potent antimalarial drug) is being reported. Multiple shoots were obtained in large numbers from juvenile as well as vegetative parts of mature plant on Murashige and Skoog’s medium (MS) having 3% sucrose and 800 μM myoinositol and supplemented with NAA (0.5 μM) + BAP (13.0 μM) + GA₃ (0.3 μM) + Asp (300.0 μM) + Glu (700.0 μM) + Arg (300.0 μM) + Cys - HCl (30.0 μM). Reversal of reproductive to vegetative phase and back to reproductive phase could be achieved in the cultured flower buds. The shoots obtained on the above medium could be induced to flower. In addition, new shoots that differentiated from vegetative parts of juvenile and mature explants also produced flowers when cultured on MS with GA₃ (0.3 μM). Since artemisinin estimation is correlative to flowering, our results would facilitate better understanding of biosynthesis of this drug in vitro.