Microclonal propagation of the species from the collection of the botanical garden: Ungernia sewerzowii (Regel) B.Fedtsch. (Amaryllidaceae J.St.-Hil.)

The main problem with conserving introduced plants in botanical gardens is that more than 45% of species exist as isolated specimens, many of which cannot be propagated by seed or cuttings. Microclonal propagation offers a promising solution that allows rapid propagation of rare and valuable plant material. Ungernia sewertzowii (US) is a medicinal plant rich in alkaloids, particularly lycorine (0.04–0.46% in leaves, 0.15–0.38% in bulbs), used for bronchitis treatment. Due to overharvesting, natural populations are at risk, necessitating in vitro propagation as an alternative source of raw material. Callus induction was achieved on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium with 2,4-D (0.5 mg/l) combined with BAP, Kin, or Zea (0.5 mg/l each). Organogenesis, both direct and indirect, was observed on MS with BAP or Kin (0.5 mg/l) supplemented with IAA or NAA (0.5 mg/l). These protocols enable sustainable production of bioactive compounds while conserving wild populations.