VARIATION IN THE GROWTH AND ALKALOID PRODUCTION CAPABILITY OF THE HAIRY ROOTS OF HYOSCYAMUS-ALBUS, H-MUTICUS AND THEIR SOMATIC HYBRID

Hairy root cultures have been established by inoculating the somatic h ybrid (Hyoscyamus muticus + H. albus) as well as parent leaf explants with two strains of Agrobacterium rhizogenes (A4 and LBA 9402). The tr ansformation frequency obtained with the A4 strain was found to be bet ter than that of the LBA 9402 strain in all three test systems. Six li nes 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 1.5 5 times higher than that of the maximum biomass yielding lines 3M and 43A of H. muticus and H. albus respectively of the same bacterial orig in. The somatic hybrid hairy root line 1D induced by A4 strain reveale d 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 roo t line of H. muticus (35M) and H. albus (28A) respectively, of A4 orig in. 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). (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.