Variation in the growth and alkaloid production capability of the hairy roots of Hyoscyamus albus, H. muticus and their somatic hybrid

Abstract

Hairy root cultures have been established by inoculating the somatic hybrid (Hyoscyamus muticus + H. albus) as well as parent leaf explants with two strains of Agrobacterium rhizogenes (A4 and LBA 9402). The transformation frequency obtained with the A4 strain was found to be better than that of the LBA 9402 strain in all three test systems. Six lines each of H. albus and H. muticus, and four lines of the hybrid were studied for their growth and secondary metabolite production after 30 days of culture. Great variation was observed among the various lines induced by the two strains of bacteria. The maximum biomass had been noted in the somatic hybrid line 2D of A4 origin which is 1.26 and 1.55 times higher than that of the maximum biomass yielding lines 3M and 43A of H. muticus and H. albus respectively of the same bacterial origin. The somatic hybrid hairy root line 1D induced by A4 strain revealed maximum yield of atropine (9.73mg/culture) which was 9.18 times and 1.45 times higher than that of the highest atropine yielding hairy root line of H. muticus (35M) and H. albus (28A) respectively, of A4 origin. The scopolamine content of the same somatic hybrid line was found to be 1.13 times higher than that of the maximum scopolamine yielding H. albus line (28A).