Aluminium chloride enhances colchicine production in root cultures of Gloriosa superba.

Root cultures of Gloriosa superba were treated with 5 mM: methyl jasmonate and 125 microM: AlCl3 which enhanced the intracellular colchicine content of the roots by 50-fold and 63-fold, respectively. Ten millimolar of CaCl2 and 1 mM: CdCl2 enhanced biomass significantly (7- to 8.6-fold, respectively) while maximum release of colchicine into the medium was obtained with 10 mM: CdCl2. Casein hydrolysate, yeast extract and silver nitrate had no significant effect on growth and colchicine accumulation in root cultures.