CONTENT OF THIOPHENES IN TRANSFORMED ROOT CULTURES OF ARGENTINEAN SPECIES OF TAGETES

The presence of thiophenes in four Argentinian species of Tagetes was studied. T. terniflora HBK and T. minuta L. seedlings contain 5-(4-hyd roxy-1-butynyl)-2-2'-bithienyl (BBTOH); 5-(4-acetoxy-1-butynyl)-2,2'-b ithienyl (BBTOAc), while T. campanulata Griseb and T. laxa Cabrera see dlings also accumulated BBT and alpha-T. From the four Tagetes species tested only T. laxa was able to produce transformed roots when infect ed with Agrobacterium rhizogenes LBA 9402. Several clones of transform ed roots were obtained in which the total thiophene content present sh owed considerable variations (277 to 1773 mu g/g FW). The thiophene sp ectrum, however, was similar between different clones. In addition, th e thiophene patterns in these transformed clones differed from that fo rmed in the parent plants.