Comparison of phenols and flavonoids in plant and callus of Artemisia aucheri Boiss against light stimulus and UV radiation under in vitro culture

Climatic factors affect the production of secondary metabolites. Phenols and flavonoids are the most important secondary compounds. This research was aimed to investigate the effects of light at different frequencies on the production of phenols and flavonoids in Artemisia aucheri Boiss. Murashige and Skoog solid culture medium was used without growth regulators. The culture media were placed in the room culture under sterile conditions, a temperature of 25 ± 2°C and different light conditions with various treatments. Different light intensities of 1000, 2000, and 3000 lux were the light conditions of the experiment. In addition, the UV radiation treatment with intensity of 320 nm and darkness treatment were considered. Phenols and flavonoid were measured by spectrometric method. For data analysis and drawing diagrams, SPSS version 20 and Excel software were used. Data analysis was performed using one-way ANOVA and the means were compared with Tukey's post-test at P≤0.05. According to the results, the UV radiation affected the production of phenols and flavonoids, so that it reduced the amount of flavonoids and increased the phenols content. The effect of light was different and further investigation is required. Different results were also obtained for calli.Therefore, it could be concluded that light and particularly UV radiation affected the production of a number of secondary compounds (phenols and flavonoids), and the effects of this environmental factor should be taken into consideration.