Influence of ventilation closure, gelling agent and explant type on shoot bud proliferation and hyperhydricity in Scrophularia yoshimurae—A medicinal plant

Summary We report an improved procedure of in vitro propagation of Scrophularia yoshimurae—a medicinally important plant species indigenous to Taiwan. Induction of maximum shoot buds (22.75 per explant) was obtained with shoot tip explant cultured on Murashige and Skoog medium supplemented with 1.0mgl^−1 benzyladenine (BA) and 0.2mgl^−1 α-naphthaleneacetic acid and gelrite using dispense paper (DP) for ventilation closure of culture vessels. The type of gelling agents (agar and Gelrite) affected both quantity and quality of the shoots induced. Using aluminum foil for ventilation closure resulted in a higher number of hyperhydric shoots. Hyperhydricity was reduced by culturing shoots on a medium devoid of plant growth regulators in conjunction with the use of DP. Plantlet growth in vessels using DP was healthier and all plantlets survived after being transplanted to soil.