An efficient hairy root culture system for Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal

Abstract

Withania somnifera is an important aromatic medicinal plant and possesses wide array of pharmacological properties. In the present investigation, an improved version of hairy root culture system was developed by optimizing various transformation parameters such as type of explant, concentration of acetosyringone, Agrobacterium types and co-cultivation period. Between the leaf and cotyledon explants and two Agrobacterium rhizgenes strains (R1000 and A4) tested, leaf explants infected with R1000 and cocultured for five days on MS basal half strength medium in the presence of acetosyringone (100 µM) attained a higher frequency (88%) of hairy root induction. By adopting this protocol, we could utilize the hairy root culture for industrial scale production of withanolides.

Keywords: Leaf explant, Agrobacterium rhizogenes, Withania somnifera, co-cultivation period, acetosyringone.

African Journal of Biotechnology, Vol 13(43) 4141-4147