Narcissus and Daffodil

222 C. Codina
µ g/g FW
µ g/g FW
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
25
20
15
10
5
0
N -formylnorgalanthamine
2 4 6 8
Time (weeks)
0mg/l 1mg/l 3mg/l
5mg/l 10mg/l
Haemanthamine
2 4 6 8
Time (weeks)
0mg/l 1mg/l 3mg/l
5mg/l 10mg/l
Galanthamine
production of alkaloids was not very high, and it was more or less constant during
the experiment. N-formylnorgalanthamine and haemanthamine were the main
alkaloids released into the liquid medium after two weeks in the case of the
explants treated with 10 mg/l of BA, and, in general, tazettine was the alkaloid with
the least tendency to be released into the medium.
Accumulation of alkaloids in tissue
Eight weeks after starting the culture, the alkaloid content of the shoot-clumps was
determined, as well as that of the alkaloids released to the liquid medium (Figure
7.6). In all cases, the concentration of alkaloids was higher in the tissue than in the
liquid medium, optimum levels being reached in the shoot-clumps treated with
3 mg/l of BA. The major alkaloids were haemanthamine, reaching values of up to
2.17 mg/g DW, and galanthamine, reaching 1.42 mg/g DW.
µ g/g FW
µ g/g FW
25
20
15
10
5
0
25
20
15
10
5
0
2 4 6 8
Time (weeks)
0mg/l 1mg/l 3mg/l
5mg/l 10mg/l
Tazettine
2 4 6 8
Time (weeks)
0mg/l 1mg/l 3mg/l
5mg/l 10mg/l
Figure 7.5 Levels of alkaloids released by shoot-clumps treated with BA into the culture
medium throughout the experiment (bars represent the SD calculated from
three replicates).