Tissue culture and plant regeneration of okra ( Abelmoshus esculentus)

Explants (hypocotyl, cotyledon, cotyledonary node and leaf segment) were excised from aseptically grown okra ( Abelmoschus esculentus) seedlings. The explants were cultured on a Murashige and Skoog basal nutrient medium supplemented with auxins, cytokinins and auxin-cytokinin combinations. Callus formation and root differentiation occurred in a medium containing naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) or indoleacetic acid. There was a greater proliferation of roots on medium supplemented with NAA. The addition of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) to the growth medium suppressed root formation. No shoot bud or shoot development was observed at any of the auxin levels tested. Both kinetin (KN) and zeatin (Z) also proved ineffective in inducing shoot buds or shoots. Shoots were produced on cotyledon and cotyledonary node explants cultured in a medium supplemented with benzyladenine and NAA. These shoots developed roots on the same medium. The plantlets, on transfer to soil, grew normally.