Effects of Phenolic Compounds on Tobacco Callus and Blackberry Shoot Cultures

Abstract

Abstract The effects of catechol, juglone, phloridzin, phloroglucinol, and tannic acid were tested on tobacco callus growth and on axillary shoot proliferation and rooting of blackberry. Juglone (500 μM) promoted tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L. ‘McNair 944’) callus growth, whereas catechol and phloroglucinol (500 μM) increased adventitious shoot formation, but not callus growth. Tannic acid increased the frequency of vitreous shoots. No phenolic compounds stimulated axillary shoot proliferation in blackberry (Rubus sp. ‘Dirkson Thornless’), and phloroglucinol (1 mM) inhibited shoot elongation. Auxin increased rooting of blackberry shoots irrespective of the presence or absence of incorporated phenols. On shoots derived from proliferation media void of phenols, root number and percent rooting were greater if they were treated with the phenolic auxin P-ITB compared to IBA. In contrast, shoots originating from proliferation media containing phenols rooted the same with both auxins. Chemical names used: 1,2-benzenediol (catechol); 5-hydroxy-1,4-naphthalendedione (juglone); 1-[2-(β-D-glycopyranosloxy)-4,6-dihydroxyphenyl-3-[4-hydroxyphenyl)-1-propanone (phloridzin); 1,3,5-benzenetriol (phloroglucinol); 1H-indole-3-butanoic acid (IBA); N-(phenylmethyl)-1H-purin-6-amine (BA): phenyl indole-3-thiolobutyrate (P-ITB); (1α,2β,4aα,4bβ,10β)-2,4a,7-trihydroxy-1-methyl-8-methylenegibb-3-ene-1, 10-dicarboxylic acid 1,4a-Iactone (GA3).