Effects of Plant Growth Regulators on Micropropagation of Black Pepper (Piper nigrum) in Commercial-Scales

Aim: Black pepper (Piper nigrum) is renowned as a popular spice used to flavor dishes around the world and is also an agricultural export commodity that brings high economic value to many countries. However, traditional propagation methods by seed, cuttings, layering, and grafting reveal many limitations such as the low multiplication coefficient, the low survival rate of seedlings, and especially when there is an outbreak of disease, the ability to control the disease source is exceedingly difficult, leading to the spread of disease. Therefore, an alternative method through apical meristem micropropagation has been applied to contribute to sustainable and disease free pepper cultivars. Propagation by apical shoot meristem gives high propagation efficiency, good and uniform seedling quality, and can be propagated in large numbers in a brief period.