In Vitro Propagation of Genus Dioscorea – a Critical Review

The monocotyledonous Dioscorea genus is known as yam. Many species of Dioscorea genus are economically important crops of worldwide and many of them have been used in the pharmaceutical industry. In vitro propagation of Dioscorea species pave the way to meet the demand of this economically important plant. The protocols are designed to provide the optimal levels of mineral nutrients, environmental factors, vitamins and carbohydrates to achieve the high regeneration rate of the different species of Dioscorea in vitro. This review summarizes some of the important reports on micropropagation technique of Dioscorea from the literature data.