ISSN 2736-1624
Frontiers of Agriculture and Food Technology ISSN 7295-2849 Vol. 8 (6), pp. 001-005, June, 2018. © International Scholars Journals
Review
In vitro propagation: A biotechnological tool capable of solving the problem of medicinal plants decimation in South Africa
Afolayan A. J.1* and Adebola P. O.2
1Department of Botany, University of Fort Hare, Private Bag X1314, Alice 5700, South Africa.
2Plant Breeding Group, Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria, PMB 5244, Ibadan, Nigeria.
Accepted 04 May, 2018
Abstract
South Africa has a very rich plant biodiversity, many of which are medicinally useful. The rich resource is decreasing at an alarming rate as a result of over- exploitation. Plant in vitro regeneration is a biotechnological tool that offers a potential solution to this problem as it provides a means of putting the plants onto the market at lower prices. We present in this paper a review of micro propagation protocols developed for selected medicinal plants of South Africa and highlight the need for the utilization of this technology for the mass propagation of over-exploited medicinal plants in South Africa.
Key words: Tissue culture, protocols, micro propagation, medicinal plants, herbal medicine.