Micropropagation of Red Ginger (Zingiber officinale Rosc. Var. Rubrum) Using Several Types of Cytokinins

One of the medicinal plants that is widely cultivated is the red ginger (Zingiber officinale Rosc. Var. Rubrum). The plant contains an active compound gingerol that is used as an ingredient for various treatments such as cough and flu. To meet the demand of medicinal and industrial raw materials, quality ginger seeds are needed. One alternative to producing seeds is to use tissue culture technology. This study aimed to obtain the best type and concentration of cytokinins in increasing the multiplication of red ginger shoots in vitro. This study used a factorial Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with 2 factors, namely the type of cytokinins (BAP, thidiazuron, zeatin, kinetin, and 2ip) and cytokinin concentrations (0, 0.1, and 1 ppm). The results showed that 1 ppm thidiazuron treatment produced the highest number of shoots and the highest shoot length in the first subculture. The responses in the second subculture showed that shoots from thidiazuron, 2ip, and BAP treatment media produced the highest number of shoots, roots, and leaves compared to kinetin and zeatin. Multiplication continued until the sixth subculture, and the best multiplication was found on shoots from 2ip treatment.