Growth and thiophene accumulation are influenced by sucrose, light and subculture in cell suspensions and root cultures of Tagetes argentina
Benavides, Maria Patricia
Biocell 21(1): 1-11
1997
ISSN/ISBN: 0327-9545 Accession: 008746496
The effect of sucrose, light and the number of subcultures on growth and thiophene formation in cell suspensions and root cultures of Tagetes argentina was studied. Both in cell suspensions and root cultures, light significantly favoured growth, but thiophenes were produced without differences in undifferentiated cell suspension cultures. In root cultures, light also increased the secondary metabolites synthesis from the second week of culture. The four thiophenes studied were BBT, BBTOAc, BBTOH and alpha-T, which are the most abundant reported in Tagetes cultures. Sucrose was tested in concentrations from 30 to 140 g/L in suspension cultures and root cultures. With 60 g/L the maximum growth and thiophene formation was achieved not only in suspension but in root cultures. Higher sucrose concentrations (120 and 140 g/L) reduced both biomass yield and thiophene synthesis.