Photoautotrophic growth of Marchantia polymorpha L. cells in suspension culture.

A cell line of M. polymorpha was grown photoautotrophically in liquid suspension culture using 1% CO2 in air as sole carbon source. The growth rate in terms of cell dry-weight during the exponential phase was 0.171 and the doubling time was 1.76 d. The rate of increase in chlorophyll was 1.6 times higher than the growth rate. The highest content of chlorophyll was 24 mg g(-1) dry weight, and the photosynthetic activity of the cells in the exponential phase, as calculated from the growth rate, was at least 60 μmol mg(-1) chlorophyll h(-1).