Studies have been conducted to develop an in vitro propagation protocol for Pterocarpus santalinus L., an endangered medicinal plant. Stem cuttings excised from one year old plants were surface sterilized successfully using 15 % clorox (5.25 % NaOCl) for 10 minutes followed by 70 % ethanol for two minutes and established on Mc Cowns woody plant medium (WPM) with 0.1 % activated charcoal. Different explant types were tested including cotyledonary nodal segments, mesocotyl segments, in vitro derived shoot tips, immature and semi-hard wood cuttings detached from one year old plants and in vitro germinated seedlings. Maximum number of shoots and shoot branches were obtained with the Gamberg medium (B5) with 8.0 2.0 formed on micro shoots on half-strength solid Murashige and hours. In vitro rooted plantlets were successfully acclimatized in pots containing sand:coir dust (1: 1) in a humid chamber

Jatropha curcas seeds (immature, mature, fully mature) were collected and surface sterilized using different concentrations of Clorox (5.25% sodium hypochlorite -NaOCl) with different exposure times followed by dipping in 70% and 100% ethanol for two minutes and flaming. Surface sterilized seeds were inoculated on Murashige and Skoog, McCown's Woody Plant and B5 media with and without incorporating activated charcoal at 1 gL -1 . Shoot tips were excised from in vitro germinated seedlings and cultured on B5 medium containing different combinations of benzylaminopurine, kinetin and naphthaleneacetic acid. Experiments were designed according to a Factorial Completely Randomized Design and replicated 20 times. Data were analyzed using SAS computer software. Surface sterilization of seeds in 100% Clorox for 30 minutes followed by dipping in 100% ethanol for two minutes and flaming over the blue flame of a Bunsen burner recorded 100% aseptic cultures. Mature seeds in B5 medium showed early seed germination and best seedling growth than immature and fully mature seeds in B5, MS and WPM media. Shoots proliferated on B5 medium supplemented with 1 mgL -1 benzylaminopurine, 1 mgL -1 Kinetin and 2 mgL -1 naphthaleneacetic acid resulted the highest number of shoots (6.6 shoots per explant). Supplementing B5 medium with activated charcoal at 1 gL -1 did not have a significant effect on seed germination and seedling growth.

Pterocarpus santalinus L.) is an endangered woody plant species of family Leguminosae with high medicinal value. According to some assessments (Arunakumara et 01. =005) trees of this species are available in Southern parts of Sri Lanka. Ilowever seed propagation of red sandalwood has some constraints like low germination of seeds, dormancy of seeds. fungal growth inside the seed coat, scarcity of plants, seasonal fruit bearing habit of trees (Kumarasinghe et al , 2003). Therefore in vitro shoot tip culture can be applied as an alternative propagation technique for conservation and multiplication of Red sandalwood plants in Sri Lanka.Shoot tips were excised from field grown and plant house grown plants. Experiments were carried out to identify proper surface steril ization procedures for explants and to identify proper establ ishment media for sterilized explants. NaOCI (10.15.20%) with different exposure times (10. 15.20 minutes) were tested and Murashige and Skoog (MS) and Mccown woody plant (WPM)) media were used as establishment media with and without activated charcoal (1 g/I). Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with twenty replicates was applied for the study.

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