In vitro propagation of spiral ginger [Costus speciosus (Koen.) Sm.]

Abstract

Spiral ginger [Costus speciosus (Koen.) Sm.] (family Zingiberaceae) is a rhizomatous perennial herb with pinkish white flowers in reddish bracts. It is distributed below 1500 maltitude in tropical forests throughout India. The plant is ornamental and the rhizome is a source of an antihelmintic compound and an alternative source of diosgenin [1, 2]. It is also used locally for treating diabetes. The root extract acts as an astringent, aphrodisiac, depurative, purgative and useful in catarrhal fever, coughs, skin diseases and snake bites [3, 4]. The plant is conventionally propagated by vegetative techniques using rhizome and sucker segments and through seeds, which are very slow for large-scale plantation. Due to large indiscriminate collection of its medicinal rhizome from the wild and insufficient attempts either to allow its replenishment or its cultivation, Costus speciosus is rapidly disappearing from its natural habitat. The rate of regeneration of these plants are poor which make it imperative to go in for augmentative research on the development of suitable tissue culture and micropropagation methods. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop methods for the mass propagation and conservation of this threatened species [5].