[A comparative study of the effects of selection and environmental factors on alkaloid accumulation in strains of Choisya ternata].

The accumulation of two dihydrofuroquinoline alkaloids has been studied in seventeen strains of Choisya ternata (Rutaceae) initiated from the same tree. The contents of platydesminium and balfourodinium vary in heavy proportions. The effect of some factors (age of the culture, NAA or glucose concentrations of the medium, light intensity) has been studied in two of these strains, one with a low accumulative capacity, the other with a high accumulative capacity. These factors may in certain cases increase the alkaloid contents of both strains, but the induced variability is much lower than that existing naturally between the strains. The strain with a low content always remains inferior to that with a high content. This shows the importance of selecting strains with a high accumulative capacity before studying an optimal production medium.