Abstract
The objective of this study was to design a protocol of the successful establishment of plants of Begonia fischeri var. palustris obtained in the in vitro seeds culture, to evaluate flavonoid content and antimicrobial properties of in vitro plantlets. The significant increase of percentage of seed germination (92.5%) was recorded in the half strength MS medium and 1% agar medium (83.3%) in comparison with 50-60% in greenhouse conditions. Flavonoid composition of the leaves of in vitro plantlets and greenhouse stock plants had no substantial differences. Significant differences (p<0.05) were not found between flavonoid contents of the leaves (13.6 and 15.5 mg•g-1 of Dry Weight (DW), respectively). Aqueous ethanol extracts of plants showed antimicrobial effects against reference strains of Bacillus subtilis, Streptococcus pyogenes and Staphylococcus aureus. Concentration of flavonoids in acetone and ethanol extracts of exudative compounds of the leaves of in vitro plantlets was 0.02 and 2.0 mg•g-1 DW, respectively. Our results indicated that this protocol can be used for the production of a large number of plants of B. fischeri var. palustris with rich flavonoid composition and high quantities of flavonoids, including exudative compounds, with healing and air cleaning properties.
Highlights
Begonia fischeri Schrank var. palustris (Hartw. ex Benth.) Irmsch. is ornamental shrublike plant with a vigorous growth
B. fischeri var. palustris seed germination in the greenhouse conditions generally occurred within 3 weeks and final germination percentage (FG) was in the range of 50-60%
Half strength MS medium produced optimal results for the B. fischeri var. palustris seedling development suggesting that this medium was the most suitable for the germination of the species
Summary
Begonia fischeri Schrank var. palustris (Hartw. ex Benth.) Irmsch. (section Begonia) is ornamental shrublike plant with a vigorous growth. (section Begonia) is ornamental shrublike plant with a vigorous growth. It is implemented in ornamental gardening in greenhouses throughout the world, including Siberia. Its natural habitat is the Atlantic coastal forest in Brazil. It grows mostly in marshy places and forms large thickets under the shadow of forest canopy. In vitro raising of many begonias is an alternative efficient system widely used by commercial nurseries and institutes for rapid plants propagation, germplasm conservation, elimination of pathogens and for phytochemical screening of medicine-useful compounds (Murugan et al, 2016). The seed populations in vitro can be stored for a long time lacking the problems of bacterial or fungal infections ordinarily associated with long-term maintenance of Begonia clonal stock
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call