Influence of inoculum morphology on growth of Atropa belladonna hairy roots and production of tropane alkaloids

The specific growth rate of Atropa belladonna hairy roots measured in terms of root length increased by about 25% to 0.49 d(-1) when the inoculum consisted of a root with the primary root tip excised. The biomass dry weight produced after 14d increased by 28%. Tn contrast, presence of laterals in the inoculum with or without lateral tips excised did not influence the growth rate. Although hyoscyamine was found to accumulate at higher concentrations in the more mature root tissues (2.1 +/- 0.2 mg g(-1)) than in the tips (1.1 +/- 0.3 mg g(-1)), hyoscyamine content in the harvested roots was independent of inoculum morphology.