Standarized disinfection protocol and in vitro culture establishment of aloysia tryphilla

Abstract

Aloysia triphylla (L’Hér.) Britton (Verbenaceae) produces an essential oil (EO) whose phytochemical properties have enabled it to position itself in aromatic and medicinal plants global market. This EO is currently produced by extraction from dried leaves. However, the yield of this technique is very low to meet the demand, which have led to over-exploitation. As an alternative, micropropagation techniques might become an attractive opportunity. The main aim of this work was to determine the necessary conditions for In vitro cultures establishment of this species. The results indicate that the explants disinfection process is crucial and, in this regard, it was demonstrated that the immersion of leaves in 0,2% w/v HgCl2 solution for five (5) minutes allowed obtaining more than 80% viable and uncontaminated explants. Furthermore, induction of friable calluses formation process was achieved under dark conditions, using 4 mg/L of 6-benzyl-amino-purine (BAP) as a growth regulator. Finally, satisfactory results (86,3 ± 6,7%) were obtained for In vitro plantlets using 2,0 mg/L benzyladenine (BA). The above results show the feasibility of using tissue culture techniques for the production of AE from A. triphylla; however, EO yields are still remaining to be evaluated in terms of quality and productivity