BIOREACTORS FOR GROWTH OF PLANT-ROOTS

Hairy root cultures of Trigonella foenum-graceum have been generated by wounding hypocotyls with sterile needles containing Agrobacterium rhizogenes. The root cultures failed to grow in full-strength Gamborg's B5 medium, but the growth was satisfactory in half-strength B5 media with 3% (w/v) sucrose. Design modifications of 9-1 airlift and 9-1 column-mesh bioreactors permitted the easy inoculation and evenly distributed growth of "hairy root" cultures of Trigonella foenum-graecum and Nicotiana rustica. Diosgenin was detected in Trigonella root cultures. These systems provide the opportunity to investigate "hairy root" cultures in simple pilot-scale bioreactors.