Effects of polyploidy induction on antioxidant capacity and some phytochemical and morphological characteristics of Iranian poppy (Papaver bracteatum Lindl.)

Iranian poppy (Papaver bracteatum Lindl.) is one of the medicinal plants belonging to the Papaveraceae family, which is widely used in pharmaceutical industries due to the presence of benzyl isoquinoline alkaloids. The polyploidy induction is one of the most interesting issues in the breeding and biotechnology of medicinal plants. In this study, colchicine treatment was carried out in five concentrations (0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.5) and three duration times (24, 48, 72 hours) with three replications as a factorial in a completely randomized design under greenhouse conditions, which aimed at studying morphological and phytochemical changes in polyploid plants and comparing them with diploid ones. The Microscopic, morphological and chromosomal counts were used to determine ploidy level of plants. The results showed that the concentration of 0.2% of colchicine for 48 hours was the most suitable treatment for polyploidy induction. Polyploidy caused significant changes in the increasing phytochemicals amount such as phenol, flavonoids and total antioxidants (DPPH) and decreasing the stomatal density index in comparison with the diploid plants. The chromosomes number of the diploid and tetraploid plants was obtained 14 (2n=2x=14) and 28 (2n=4x=28), respectively. Therefore, it can be concluded that the increase in ploidy level increases the phytochemical and antioxidant compounds in Iranian poppy herb.