Micropropagation of Origanum sipyleum L., an endemic medicinal herb of Turkey

Origanum sipyleum L. (Lamiaceae) is an endemic species of the Western Anatolia, Turkey. Essential oils of oreganos are utilized in pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. A micropropagation protocol was developed using seedlings-derived explants. Shoot apices of 17d-old seedling were cultured and shoots multiplied on Murashige-Skoog modified (MSM) containing 550 mg/l of CaCl2 for sustained growth. Multiple shoots (3.7 ± 0.3 shoot/explant) were produced on medium containing 1 mg/L benzylaminopurine (BAP). On subculturing rated of shoot multiplication increased to 7.8 ± 0.4. 96% ofthe shoots rooted in a culture medium with 0.5 mg/L indolebutyric acid (IBA) after 3 weeks. The plantlets were acclimatized into outdoor conditions. 76% of these survived in the greenhouse. These in vitro derived microplants are already under the evaluation for their essential oil composition

High efficiency indirect shoot regeneration and hypericin content in embryogenic callus of Hypericum triquetrifolium Turra

A method to induce indirect regeneration from Hypericum triquetrifolium Turra was described in the present study. Callus was induced from cotyledon explants of 35 days old aseptic seedlings on semisolid MS supplemented with IAA (0.5 mg.L-1) combined with BAP (2 mg.L-1). Meristemoids developed on the surface of callus by decreasing of the cytokinins and plantlet regeneration with 100% frequency through these embryogenic calli occured in semi-solid medium when the PGRs were removed completely. Embryogenic calli obtained during the experiments were analyzed for their hypericin content. And they were found to produce hypericin as 48 ìg/g DM. Regenerated plantlets were rooted in MS containing 1 mg/L IAA. The highest percentages (94%) of survival of transferred plantlets to freeliving circumstances were limited when they were acclimatized in sand : peat : perlite (1:1:1; v/v/v) mixture