Implementation of biotechnological techniques for the propagation and introduction of Trichosanthes kirilowii Maxim

Trichosanthes kirilowii Maxim. is classified among the 50 most important medicinal plants used in traditional Asian medicine. This species is endemic and reproduction from seeds in the conditions of Central Europe is inefficient. The present study focused on the implementation of effective propagation of T. kirilowii, including standardisation of seed germination conditions, reproduction of the plant based on micropropagation, and introduction to field conditions. Four types of explants were tested on six types of media in various variants of culture conditions. Additionally, anatomical and histological analyses of specimens obtained through the in vitro cultivation were carried out, with particular emphasis on the site of initiation of aboveground and underground shoots. Microscopic analyses showed that the T. kirilowii shoots and roots obtained in the in vitro culture formed in the process of organogenesis via direct regeneration. Even though the callus did not participate in the regeneration of the entire plant, the micropropagation protocol proposed in the study was efficient: 6–8 shoots were obtained from 1 explant. The entire micropropagation process from the explant to an adult individual growing in the ground lasted 122 days. The protocol for T. kirilowii micropropagation in vitro cultures provides a fast, efficient, and robust approach to propagation of this species. The biotechnological applications in the reproduction of T. kirilowii will help not only to increase the number of daughter plants but also to multiply individuals of the appropriate sex, which will increase the probability of production of fruits in this dioecious species.