Micropropagation of red ginger (Zingiber officinale Rosc. var Rubrum.) Jahira 2 variety through in vitro culture

The main constraint in ginger cultivation is wilt disease caused by Ralstonia solanacearum. To create healthy planting materials, red ginger was propagated in vitro. The experiment was conducted at the Tissue Culture Laboratory of Indonesian Spice and Medicinal Crops Research Institute from 2020 – 2021. The red ginger shoots of Jahira 2 variety were the explants sources employed. The research was divided into two stages: 1) Shoots induction. The sterile shoots were cultured on MS medium enriched with BA of 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, and 1.0 mg/l. The best medium from the first stage was then subsequently cultured on BA 1.0 mg/l singly and in combination with 0.1 mg/l kinetin to enhance the shoot induction. 2) To multiply the shoots, the culture was treated on different concentrations of BA 2-3 mg/l individually or in combination with kinetin 0.1 mg/l. The result showed that the highest rate of shoot induction was achieved on BA 1.0 mg/l. By applying BA of 1.0 mg/l + kinetin 0.1 mg/l for two and four weeks, the number of induced shoots increased. The use of 2.0 mg/l BA produced the optimal number of shoots on multiplication process. Plantlets of the red ginger Jahira 2 variety can be acclimatized in the greenhouse.