In vitro propagation of Acacia auriculiformis A. cunn. ex benth

Acacia auriculiformis is an important agroforestry tree in Australia. It thrives in harsh sites on poor soil. This species is valued for good fuelwood and makes good charcoal. It is an important species for avenue plantation and reforestation programmes. In Nepal, the species was introduced in 1950 and has been planted in different parts of the country. It is suitable for the Terai region and inner Terai region. In the present paper, a method is described for large scale production of plantlets all the year round by in vitro culture. The in vitro propagation of A. auriculiformis seedlings was investigated. The shoot tips from 12- to 16-day-old seedlings were excised and cultured in Murashige and Skoog medium, supplemented with different concentration of 6 benzylamino purine and napthylene acetic acid. 25-30 multiple shoots were proliferated in MS medium supplemented with 6 benzaylamino purine 0.5 mg/l and napthylene acetic acid 0.1 mg/l after the fourth sub- culture. The micro shoots 3-4 cm long were excised and rooted in non-sterile sand. The roots were initiated after 15-21 days. The rooted plants were successfully established in soil.