Cytogenetic study of tissue-cultured plant, Tacca integrifolia / Nur Azian Aziz

White bat flower, Tacca integrifolia that has beautiful foliage and fascinating flowers is one of the most popular ornamental. Despite the medicinal importance of white bat flower, little attention has been given to its cytogenetic study which leads to insufficient information in cytogenetic profile. This study revealed the chromosomal study and behaviour of Tacca integrifolia. The protocol of micropropagating of white bat flower through subculturing was investigated as well. The plantlets were cultured with Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium and put under direct light, 16:8 hours-photoperiod for about six weeks. The formation of callus, primordial leaves into a young plant that had overall major organs which were stem, leaf and root indicated that micropropagation of T. integrifolia was successfully done. Squeezing out the meristematic cells from the root tip region on to the surface of the slide through squash technique was the main step leading to monolayer cell. In order to observe mitosis of T. integrifolia during actively mitotic division cells time, aceto-orcein, acetocarmine, methylene blue and toluidine blue were used as staining reagents. Prophase and anaphase were the only stages that could be observed in the cell as the chromosomes of T. integrifolia were too small. Thus, karyotyping analysis could not be performed and indicated that cytogenetic study in T. integrifolia was unsuccessful.