Effect of different concentrations of Turmeric( Curcuma longa L.) powder and BA on in vitro direct organogenesis from cotyledons of mandarin (Citrus reticulata Blanco)

Turmeric( Curcuma longa L.) plant is considered one of the important medicinal speciesbelonging to the Zingiberaceae because it is rich with many active compounds. The aim of this research was to study the effect of Turmeric powder and BA on direct organogenesis from mandarin Citrus reticulata Blanco. Cotyledons which were used as source of explants asentire cotyledonary segments ( EC ) and longitudinally cuttings (LC) were cultured onMurashige and Skoog ( MS) medium containing 500 mg/L malt extract and supplementedwith Turmeric powder ( 0.0, 200, 400, 600, 800, 1000 and 2000 mg/L ) and BA ( 0.0, 1.0, 2.0and 3.0 mg/L ). The highest frequency of regeneration ( 100% ) was observed in the 2000and 3.0 mg/L respectively in both EC and LC explants. The highest number ofbuds/shoots was 8.20 and 7.50 which obtained when EC explants were cultured in MSmedium supplemented with 600 mg/L Turmeric + 3.0 mg/L BA and 2000 mg/L Turmeric +3.0 mg/L BA respectively as compared with other treatments, while the combination: EC + 600 mg/L Turmeric + 3.0 mg/L BA gave the highest length (6.40 mm) which was significantly higherthan other combinations.