Studies on the Effect of Various Seed Surface Sterilization and Growing Media on the In-vitro Germination of Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis L.)

Objectives: Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) is a perennial herb belongs to Lamiaceae, which is native to South Europe, Middle East and North America. Lemon balm is used for anti-cancer, digestive problems, anxiety, gastrointestinal disorders, thyroid, chronic fatigue syndrome and Alzheimer’s disease. A successful and efficient system for in vitro seed sterilization and germination has been established in the present study. Methods/ Statistical Analysis: The seeds were soaked in distilled water for 10 hours and exposed with various concentrations of different surface sterilization agent for various intervals of time. Surface sterilized seeds were inoculated on different culture media such as Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal, half strength MS and B5 media with different sucrose concentrations. Findings: By comparison of measured characteristics results (ANOVA) we found that the best sterilizing agent for seed surface sterilization and uniform growth of seedling in M. officinalis was 2.5% Sodium Hypochlorite for 3 min. Maximum germination rate, shoot length and ischolar_main length were recorded in half strength MS medium with 1% (W/V) sucrose. The analysis of data revealed the correlation between GP, GR, shoot length and ischolar_main length were significant and positive. Application/Improvement: We optimized seed surface sterilization protocol and culture condition that may be useful quick regenerative, transformation and conservation method for Melissa officinalis, an important medicinal plant.