Research Article An Improved Micropropagation Protocol by Ex Vitro Rooting of Passiflora edulis Sims. f. flavicarpa Deg. through Nodal Segment Culture Mahipal S. Shekhawat, M. Manokari, and C. P. Ravindran Biotechnology Laboratory, Department of Plant Science, M.G.G.A.C., Mahe, Pondicherry 673311, India Correspondence should be addressed to Mahipal S. Shekhawat; smahipal3@gmail.com Received 14 June 2015; Accepted 7 July 2015 Academic Editor: Karl-Josef Dietz Copyright © 2015 Mahipal S. Shekhawat et al. Tis is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. A procedure for rapid clonal propagation of Passifora edulis Sims. f. favicarpa Deg. (Passiforaceae) has been developed in this study. Nodal explants were sterilized with 0.1% HgCl 2 and inoculated on Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal medium. Te addition of 2.0 mgL −1 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) to MS medium caused an extensive proliferation of multiple shoots (8.21 ± 1.13) primordial from the nodal meristems. Subculturing of these multiple shoots on the MS medium augmented with 1.0 mgL −1 of each BAP and Kinetin (Kin) was successful for the multiplication of the shoots in vitro with maximum numbers of shoots (25.73±0.06) within four weeks of incubation. Shoots were rooted best (7.13 ± 0.56 roots/shoots) on half strength MS medium supplemented with 2.0 mgL −1 indole-3 butyric acid (IBA). All in vitro regenerated shoots were rooted by ex vitro method, and this has achieved 6-7 roots per shoot by pulsing of cut ends of the shoots using 200 as well as 300 mgL −1 IBA. Te plantlets were hardened in the greenhouse for 4-5 weeks. Te hardened plantlets were shifed to manure containing nursery polybags afer fve weeks and then transferred to a sand bed for another four weeks for acclimatization before feld planting with 88% survival rate. 1. Introduction Passifora edulis Sims f. favicarpa Deg. (passion fruit) is an important species of the family Passiforaceae, distributed mainly in the tropical and the subtropical regions of the world. It is native to Brazil and the fruits are mainly used for processing of juice. Te fruits are famous for aromatic favor and rich nutritional and medicinal properties. Tese are well known for their delicious juice, considered to be an instant energy drink in many parts of the world, particularly in South America, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa [1]. Passion fruit vines are found wild and cultivated also to some extent in many parts of the world. In Brazil, it is cultivated at commercial scale and the fruits are consumed as juices and in ice cream making [2]. Te cultivation of passion fruit has also been taken up at commercial scale in North- East and South India to produce value-added products and to generate extra income for the farmers. It can be grown as intercrop during any seasons. Flowers are hermaphrodites and are violet or blue to pale violet colored, in axillary solitary cymes [3]. P. edulis yields essential oils used in perfumery and soap industry, and the products derived from this plant are internationally recognized as herbal medicines [4]. Tis species is used in several pharmaceutical preparations in Brazil. Te Italian chemists have extracted passiforine from the air-dried leaves of P. edulis. Te fruits contain vital antioxidants found to inhibit the growth of cancer cells [3]. In Madeira, the juice of passion fruits is given as digestive stimulant and to treat gastric cancer [5]. Passion fruit is rich in saponins, alkaloids, tannins, favonoids, vitamins, and free amino acids, namely, arginine, aspartic acid, glycine, leucine, lysine, proline, threonine, tyrosine, and valine. Te seeds yield 23% oil which is similar to sunfower and soybean oil and have industrial uses. It is also known to possess antibacterial, antiseptic, astringent, antiulcer, anti-infammatory, spermicidal, and anticancer properties [6, 7]. Hindawi Publishing Corporation Scientifica Volume 2015, Article ID 578676, 8 pages http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/578676