Effect of Medium Culture, Agrobacterium Strain and Light Condition on Hairy Roots Induction in Opium Poppy

One of the most important medicinal plants to produce alkaloid is the dicot Poppies plant. This plant is the only commercial source of some important drugs such as Morphinan, antitussive codeine, antimicrobial Noscapine and Thebaine until now. The Agrobacterium rhizogenesis causes hairy root disease in plant wounds and optimization of hairy root cultures can increase the amount of alkaloids which are produced naturally in plants roots. In this study, in order to optimization of hairy roots induction with higher efficiency, two distinct factorial experiment for excised shoot and hypocotyl explants was conducted based on completely randomized design with 4 replications. In both of these factorial experiments, 3 factors was studied included Agrobacterium rhizogenesis (3 strain types), basal medium (B5 and 1/2B5) and light condition (48h dark and 16h dark/8h light). Results of excised shoot explant experiment showed that AR15834 strain induced highest percentage of hairy roots and about lateral branches in 1 cm length of hairy roots, the most lateral branches were observed by AR15834 strain in 1/2B5 medium. Results of hypocotyl explant experiment showed that amount of hairy root induction by this explant very lower than excised shoot explant experiment and AR15834 strain with 48h darkness was the best treatment. Totally, results of these two experiments showed that excised shoot explants had better response than hypocotyl explant and for excised shoot explant, 1/2B5 medium and AR15834 strain had the highest induced hairy roots.