Micropropagation of an endangered Indian sandalwood (Santalum album L.)

Santalum album is known as East Indian sandalwood. It is the most economically important tree harvested for heartwood oil, and India is among the chief exporters of sandalwood and its products. Multiple shoots were induced from nodal shoot segments derived from a 50- to 60-year-old candidate plus tree (CPT) on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 0.53 mu M alpha-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) and 11.09 mu M 6-benzylaminopurine (BA). In vitro differentiated shoots were multiplied on MS medium with 0.53 mu M NAA, 4.44 mu M BA, and additives: 283.93 mu M ascorbic acid, 118.10 mu M citric acid, 104.04 mu M cystine, 342.24 mu M glutamine, and 10% (v/v) coconut milk. New shoots were harvested repeatedly for up to three subculture passages on fresh medium at 4-week intervals. Microshoots treated with 98.4 mu M indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) for 48 h produced roots on growth-regulator-free, quarter-strength MS basal salts medium with vitamin B-5 and 2% sucrose. In vitro root induction was achieved from microshoots pulsed with 1230 mu M IBA for 30min in soilrite rooting medium. The percentage of rooting in soilrite was higher than that for agar medium, and in vitro raised plants were established in the field and showed normal growth.