Tissue culture enhancement for efficient and sustainable propagation of the ornamental Araceae species, Alocasia farisii

The Araceae, Alocasia farisii is an endemic ornamental plant that found in karst limestone areas of Kelantan, Malaysia and known for its unique and and eye-catching appearance with a great horticultural and conservation value. The objective of the study is to evaluate the optimize surface sterilization durations and the impact of Plant Growth Regulators (PGRs) on shoot initiation in propagation. The methodology of the study involved sterilizing rhizome explants in 70% ethanol for three different periods followed by 5% sodium hypochlorite. The explants were then cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium that contained two different PGR treatments which is BAP and BAP + NAA. A 1 minute ethanol treatment demonstrated the best and the highest explant survival, while BAP alone considerably increased the shoot production compared to the BAP + NAA combination treatment and the significant difference between treatments was confirmed through by one-way ANOVA which s F = 21.250 and p < 0.001. This present research represents an important milestone in conservation and cultivation of A.farisii by developing the first successful micropropagation methods. It is highly advised that more study should be conducted to address genotypic variabilty and to develop appropriate technique for large-scale commercial propagation.