Eugenol from normal and transformed root cultures of Coluria geoides

Transformed root cultures of Coluria geoides Ledeb. were established with the use of Agrobacterium rhizogenes LBA 9402. Both normal and transformed root cultures were investigated for their growth and yield of eugenol. Normal roots were grown in B5 medium -supplemented with 0.2 mg l(-1) of kinetin and 0.2 mg l(-1) of l-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA). Hairy roots grew well in hormone-free B5 medium. Both hairy roots and normal roots produced glycosidic bound eugenol. As with the roots of intact plants, eugenol was the main component of the total essential oils obtained from hairy root and normal root cultures. The yield of eugenol from normal roots was 0.1-0.25% of the dry wt. and depended on the development stage of the culture. Yield of eugenol from hairy roots was 0.08-0.1% of the dry wt. NAA modified the hairy root morphology and influenced the yield of eugenol.