Abstract

Monica Danial, Chan Lai Keng, Syarifah Shahrul Rabiah Syed Alwee and Sreeramanan Subramaniam*

Seed morphology and histology analysis of Eurycoma longifolia by light microscopes revealed seeds structures of this important medicinal plant at different growing stages. The seed structures of E. longifolia consist of main regions such as epidermis, hypodermis, storage parenchyma and procambium. The cotyledon of E. longifolia develops into a complex and reticulate vascular system. The seed development phases and the development of the vascular system on the progression of germination provide the insight of the actual and accurate information on the E. longifolia cotyledon development period. This information is essential for using the seed as the source of inoculums for the production of the hairy root cultures. Seeds being the storage organ may facilitate the generation of the hairy roots, as it evidently has the essential features like tracheas, which are the main site of infection for Agrobacterium rhizogenes.