Medicinal Plant Research 2025, Vol.15, No.2, 80-87 http://hortherbpublisher.com/index.php/mpr 80 CaseStudy Open Access Effects of Different Transplanting Substrates on the Survival Rate and Growth Qualityof Anoectochilus roxburghii Tissue Culture Seedlings Chunyu Li, Jiayao Zhou Traditional Chinese Medicine Research Center, Cuixi Academy of Biotechnology, Zhuji, 311800, Zhejiang, China Corresponding author: jiayao.zhou@cuixi.org Medicinal Plant Research, 2025, Vol.15, No.2 doi: 10.5376/mpr.2025.15.0009 Received: 12 Feb., 2025 Accepted: 21 Mar., 2025 Published: 18 Apr., 2025 Copyright © 2025 Li and Zhou, This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Preferred citation for this article: Li C.Y., and Zhou J.Y., 2025, Effects of different transplanting substrates on the survival rate and growth quality of Anoectochilus roxburghii tissue culture seedlings, Medicinal Plant Research, 15(2): 80-87 (doi: 10.5376/mpr.2025.15.0009) Abstract Anoectochilus roxburghii is a precious and rare medicinal plant with extensive uses in traditional Chinese medicine due to the richness of bioactive compounds and unusual pharmacological activities. Tissue culture seedlings are a primary tool for A. roxburghii cultivation, but their survival ratio and growth quality during the transplanting phase are determined by a series of factors among which the transplanting substrate selection is particularly crucial. With the technology of cultivating research being a key component of the discipline, the effects of different transplant substrates on plant growth have been of special interest. In this review, the biological properties of A. roxburghii and the progress in its bioactive compounds research are detailed systemically. It also explains the main mechanisms in which transplanting substrates impact plant growth, especially the interactions among substrate physical and chemical properties (e.g., water holding capacity, aeration, and nutrient supply) and seedling survival rate and growth quality. Moreover, it indicates successful experience and technical issues in substrate choice both at home and abroad and elaborates on how to optimize and manage substrates for promoting the industrial development of A. roxburghii. This review provides scientific citations for study and use of transplanting media of A. roxburghii, driving the development of successful cultivation technologies. Keywords Anoectochilus roxburghii; Transplanting substrate; Tissue culture seedlings; Survival rate; Growth quality 1 Introduction Anoectochilus roxburghii, or the "king of medicinal orchids," is one of the most precious medicinal plants with high bioactive ingredients, including flavonoids, polysaccharides, and glycosides. They display several pharmacological actions such as antioxidation, anti-inflammation, and immune regulation, hence making the plant a significant source of traditional Chinese medicine (Zhang et al., 2017). Due to its medicinal importance and increasing demand, its cultivation and research have been accelerated in the recent past. Natural populations of A. roxburghii have, however, greatly diminished in number due to excessive exploitation and destruction of habitat, and artificial cultivation is now essential for its conservation and rational use (Chen et al., 2019). Methods of tissue culture have proved to be efficacious for the multiplication of A. roxburghii, with a steady source of producing seedlings in large numbers and relieving pressure on natural resources (Wang et al., 2020). The transplanting stage is one of the most crucial phases in A. roxburghii tissue culture seedling growth because the seedlings are sensitive to environmental factors and require special attention to develop and live. One of the most important challenges in this phase is selecting the right transplanting medium that will provide physical support, water-holding capacity, aeration, and nutrients to facilitate root development and general plant growth (Lin et al., 2021). Substrate conditions leading to excessive mortality, stunted growth, and seedling quality are the main constraints for commercial cultivation of the species. The significance of transplanting the substrate is that it affects the surrounding chemical and physical environment of the seedlings, thus the health of the plant, nutrient absorption, and secondary metabolites production (Zhou et al., 2022). Despite advancements in tissue culture propagation techniques, there is no standardized optimized substrate for particular A. roxburghii requirements. This deficit should be bridged for enhancing the survival rate, quality of growth, and production of bioactive products in tissue culture seedlings that are essential to meet the demands of pharmaceutical use and large-scale commercial cultivation.
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