Micropropagação do Ginseng Brasileiro [Pfaffía glomerata (Spreng.) Pedersen]

Pfaffia glomerata (Spreng ) Pedersen is one of the Brazilian ginseng species used as medicinal plant. The aim of this work was to formulate a suitable protocol for its efficient micropropagation. Nodal segments collected from ex vitro shoots originated aseptic plants after disinfection with HgCI2 at 0.1% concentration for 5 min. Other explants from young leaves (tip. middle, and basal portions) and the internodal segment show, for the first three, a high degree of fungic contamination and HgCI2 sensibility, and for the last, absence of regeneration. Wholly developed plants were produced on MS basal medium within 35±5 days without growth regulators. In vitro produced shoots were cut into 1 -node segments and cultured on MS media either with three concentrations of macronutrients (1/3, 1/2, and full strength) or with lhe macronutrient at the basal strength but containing four concentrations of activated charcoal (0.0, 0 .1, 0.2. and 0.3%). MS medium with basal strength macronutrient and lhe absence of activated charcoal enhances seedling growth, and around 15.000 plants can be obtained from a single explant within 6 months. The protocol is highly reproducible and efficient for mass multiplication without any evidence of decline, and alter a two month hardening phase, there is a 95% transplantation success in the field.