The effect of plant growth regulators and nutrient conditions on growth and alkaloid production in multiple shoot cultures of <i>Rauwolfia serpentina</i>

Abstract

Abstract Multiple shoot cultures of Rauwolfia serpentina were established from axillary meristems of the field grown plants on Murashige and Skoog's medium supplemented with benzyladenine (BA) (1.0 ppm) and naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) (0.1 ppm). Growth hormones influenced the morphogenetic events of the shoot cultures such as root initiation in indoleacetic acid (IAA) combinations, stunted shoot formation in 2, 4‐dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2, 4–D) and slender shoot formation in kinetin (Kn) + NAA combinations. The morphogenetic responses were associated with marginal changes in alkaloid production. The cultures produced high levels of alkaloids including ajmaline (0.15%) ajmalidine and 3–epi‐α‐yohimbine in Zenk's production medium. The alkaloid concentrations in the cultures were comparable to the alkaloids in the roots of the intact plant. The shoot cultures showed stability of growth and alkaloid production characteristics over a period of five years.