Rapid in vitro adventitious shoot propagation of Scopolia parviflora through rhizome cultures for enhanced production of tropane alkaloids.

A rapid micropropagation system for Scopolia parviflora Nakai (Solanaceae), a rare medicinal plant native to Korea, was established using rhizome cultures. Shoots that originated from adventitious shoots of the rhizome were multiplied when the rhizomes were cultured on half-strength B5 liquid medium supplemented with various growth regulators. Optimum shoot multiplication was observed in half-strength B5 medium containing 3% (w/v) sucrose and 5.77 microM gibberellic acid (GA(3)). Each rhizome gave rise to an average of 12 shoots. Shoot elongation and root induction from multiple shoots occurred on growth regulator-free half-strength B5 solid medium. Healthy plantlets were transferred to a peat moss:vermiculite mixture for acclimatization, which was successful. The concentrations of tropane alkaloids, hyoscyamine and scopolamine were determined in different tissues of native growing plants, in vitro-propagated plants and acclimatized plants by high-performance liquid chromatography. The analysis revealed that the levels of hyoscyamine and scopolamine were higher in in vitro-propagated plants than in the native growing plants. When the rhizome was cut into segments and transferred to optimal culture conditions for multiple shoot propagation, only 12 weeks were required to produce a mature plant. We conclude that in vitro propagation techniques through rhizome cultures provide an efficient and rapid method for shoot propagation of S. parviflora.