shoot cultures were encapsulated in calcium alginate beads. The best gel com-
plexation was achieved using 5% sodium alginate with 50 mM CaCl 2 .2H 2 O.
Encapsulated explants exhibited the best regrowth and conversion frequency on
Murashige and Skoog medium supplemented with thidiazuron (TDZ 0.5lM) and
PPM (0.075%) under in vitro conditions (Lata et al.2009b). This system further
allowed development of an efficient conservation protocol forC. sativathat has led
to the successful growth of homogeneous and genetically stableCannabisplants
even after 6 months of storage at 15 °C (Lata et al. 2012 ).
13.3 Conclusions
To the best of our knowledge, this is thefirst comprehensive update onCannabis
sativamicropropagation. Establishment of an efficient in vitro regeneration system
for Cannabisis of high significance for mass production of pharmaceutically
superior elite clones. In vitro culture techniques will not only provide improved
methods of clonal propagation but also a valuable means for establishing ex situ
collection ofCannabisgermplasm with minimum space, free of diseases and low
maintenance requirement. For the genetic transformation studies, in vitro propa-
gation can lay a foundation for cultivating the new varieties ofCannabis.
Acknowledgements This work was supported in part by the National Institute on Drug Abuse
(NIDA), National Institute of Health (NIH), Department of Health and Human Services, USA,
Contract No. N01DA-15-7793.
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