Opti mizati on of a Surface Sterilizati on Protocol and Determinati on of Hormonal Combinati on for In vitro Propagati on of the Aquati c Ornamental Plant Echinodorus palifolius

Abstract

The in vitro propagati on of Echinodorus palifolius, an aquati c plant highly valued in aquascaping, is crucial for meeti ng its growing demand in the global market. This study aimed to opti mize the surface sterilizati on protocol and hormonal combinati on to establish in vitro propagati on of Echinodorus palifolius under the specifi c conditi ons of Sri Lanka. Various sterilants, including Clorox, ethanol, and hydrogen peroxide, and diff erent ti me durati ons were tested for leaves and roots to identi fy the most eff ecti ve sterilizati on method. The study also evaluated the impact of diff erent hormone treatments on root and leaf growth. The fi ndings indicate that a combinati on of 10% Clorox and 70% ethanol is most eff ecti ve for root sterilizati on, while TDZ and 2,4-D hormones show signifi cant promise in inducing root growth. These opti mized protocols off er a practi cal soluti on for large-scale producti on, providing a sustainable and effi cient method to culti vate high-quality plants for both commercial and research purposes.