Somatic seeds of Plantago asiatica L. were produced for the first time. Shoot-tips isolated from in vitro obtained 4-week shoots were encapsulated using sodium alginate and calcium chloride. Capsules with or without sucrose and with and without cytokinin - indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) were used. Sucrose presence in capsules very distinctly influences somatic seeds of Plantago asiatica germination and their conversion into plants. However, addition of IBA to capsules has not clear influence on the ability of plant regrowth. Plantlets transplanted to soil grew to phenotypically normal plants.
The ultrastructure of two lines of nonmorphogenic Plantago asiatica callus was compared. The ultrastructure of most organelles of cream-coloured and green-coloured lines of these callus lines was similar. Among the plastides no difference in prevalence and composition of proplastides and amyloplasts was observed. The main difference lies in the presence of chlororoplasts in green callus. The phenomena of vacuolisation and tracheogenesis in both lines were found.
Shoot-tip multiplication of the medicinal species - Plantago asiatica was carried on MS medium with IAA and BAP or kinetin. Best results in micropropagation were achieved by adding 0.1 mg/dm3 IAA and 1 mg/dm3 BAP. After 6 weeks shoots were transferred to MS medium for rooting. The resulting plantlets were transferred after 8 weeks into pots and after a period of adaptation into the ground (field culture). The species Plantago asiatica was propagated in vitro by shoot-tip multiplication for the first time.