A study on the micropropagation of camphor tree (Cinnamomum camphora (L.) Presl) using plant tissue culture techniques

Abstract

The camphor tree (Cinnamomum camphora (L.) Presl), also known as Da huong in Vietnamese, is a large, evergreen woody species. Its timber is commonly used in the production of household items (boxes, cases, prayer beads…), camphor essential oil is widely used in medicine, engineering, etc. In this study, the authors identified optimal conditions for the in vitro propagation of Cinnamomum camphora. The results indicated that surface sterilisation with 0.1% HgCl₂ for 6 minutes produced the highest rate of contamination-free explants with the highest shoot regeneration capacity. The Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 1.5 mg/l BAP (6-benzylaminopurine) and 0.5 mg/l kinetin yielded the highest average number of shoots per cluster (4.7 shoots/cluster). Root induction was most successful with Murashige and Skoog medium containing 0.9 mg/l IBA (indole-3-butyric acid), resulting in a rooting rate of 44% and an average of 3.29 roots per shoot. The induced roots were of high quality, long, thick, robust, and highly branched. The results of this study can be practically applied to the mass production of disease-free camphor trees within a short period.