Silver nitrate-induced in vitro shoot multiplication and precocious flowering in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Catharanthus roseus</Emphasis> (L.) G. Don,a rich source of terpenoid indole alkaloids

Catharanthus roseus (L.) G. Don is an economically and medicinally important plant since its leaves and flowers contain terpenoid indole alkaloids. The present study, for the first time, encompasses the influence of silver nitrate (AgNO₃), in consort with cytokinins like N ⁶-benzyladenine (BA) and 6-furfurylaminopurine (kinetin), to regenerate multiple shoots from nodal segments explants and to induce high-frequency precocious flowering of C. roseus under in vitro condition. Synergistic effect of equal concentrations of BA and kinetin was enhanced following the amalgamation of AgNO₃. As high as 98% explants responded to multiple shoot initiation and proliferation in Murashige and Skoog medium supplemented with 3 µM BA, 3 µM kinetin and 0.1 µM AgNO₃. As many as 7 shoots were developed per explant following 12 days of inoculation. Continuous culture in the same medium for 21 days induced precocious flowering from 75% shoots, wherein a maximum of ~?6 (5.67?±?0.88) flowers was observed per in vitro shoot. On the other hand, in the combinations of BA and kinetin excluding AgNO₃, a maximum of 6.67% explants responded and initiated merely 3.33 shoots per explant. Nevertheless, no induction of flower was observed in the media devoid of AgNO₃. Our results on the induction and proliferation of multiple shoots with simultaneous flowering would help the global pharmaceutical industry to produce in vitro shoots and flowers in bulk, as an alternative source of alkaloids.