Effect of explant type and strain of Agrobacterium rhizogenes on hairy roots induction in Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum– graecum)

Induced hairy roots by Agrobacterium rhizogenes are a suitable tissue for the production of secondary metabolites, due to the stability and high production of roots in hormonal-free conditions. Trigonella foenum – graecum L. is one of the medical plants in the family Fabaceae. Many useful components in Trigonella foenum L. leafs are Calcium, Iron, Phosphorus, Carotene, Ascorbic acid, Protein, Thiamine, Riboflavin. Also, this plant widely used as anti-diabetes, blood glucose, cholesterol- lowering, Anti-cancer, Antibacterial, and food stuffing. In this study, hairy roots were induced using A. rhizogenes strains A4, ATCC11325 and ATCC15834 by injection method in complete seedling, cotyledon and hypocotyl explants. The effect of strain type and explant type, were investigated on the effectiveness of hairy roots. The explants were cultured in B5 medium with 4 replications. Hairy roots appeared in bacterial inoculation after 2 to 3 weeks. The highest amount of transgenic (93%), hairy roots number (10.43 number) and the maximum root length (6.64 cm) were observed in complete seedling explant of 10 days and A4 strain. In the hypocotyl explants, the hairy roots were not observed.