In Vitro Propagation of Commonly Used Medicinal Trees in Korea

Forest medicinal resources, which constitute one of the non-timber forest products, have been regarded as healthy and highly valued products. To meet the increasing demand of the medicinal resources, it is necessary to improve the propagation methods of medicinal plants. In vitro propagation not only allows an opportunity for propagating plants in large numbers but also allows for enhancing the quality and quantity of the desired functional component of a plant by altering the growth factors, such as medium, carbon source, and plant growth regulators influence plant. There have been several studies of in vitro propagation methods, such as axillary bud culture, shooting, and embryogenesis, on Kalopanax septemlobus, Eleutherococcus sessiliflorus, Hovenia dulcis, and Schisandra chinensis in Korea between from 2000 through 2010. Furthermore, there have been attempts to proliferate callus and plantlets for producing useful natural compounds by using bioreactors. Here, we provide an account of the in vitro propagation methods of medicinal trees in Korea based on a review of several micropropagation studies.