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Tannia (Xanthosoma sagittifolium) is perennial plant cultivated for its edible corm, cormel and leaves. One of the major problems associated with its cultivation is planting material scarcity. So two propagation methods was examined: conventional and invitro. In the conventional propagation, corm pieces with 5g, 15g, 25g, 35g, 45g, 55g, 65g, 75g, 85g, and 95g were evaluated. In the in vitro propagation, shoot tip, leaf, petiole and corm explant types and different plant growth regulator types, concentration and combinations were used. In the conventional propagation, the optimum weight was found to be 55g because, in all the parameters tested, it resulted in statistically similar result with 95g corm piece while also increasing the multiplication ratio. In the in vitro propagation, the best concentration was found to be 1.5 mgl-l BA + 0.5 mgl-l IAA for multiplication of the shoots and 0.5 mgl-l IAA for rooting and elongation. Callus induction was possible from the petiole explant with plant growth regulator concentration of 0.9 mgl-l 2, 4-D and 0.1 mgl-l kinetin. Multiplication rate of 16,777,216 per year from one shoot tip was achieved in this study.

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Tifsehit Solomon was born in Ethiopia in 1982 and graduated with BSc degree from Mekelle University and Msc degree from Hawassa university in Horticulture after being employed as an instructor at college. Then she get employed as lecturer at Wollega University for 1.5years. Now she is PhD student at Addis Ababa University.

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