Abstract
Rare carnivorous plants representing the genus Sarracenia are perceived as very interesting to scientists involved in various fields of botany, ethnobotany, entomology, phytochemistry and others. Such high interest is caused mainly by the unique capacity of Sarracenia spp. to attract insects. Therefore, an attempt to develop a protocol for micropropagation of the Sarracenia alata (Alph.Wood) Alph.Wood, commonly named yellow trumpets, and to identify the specific chemical composition of volatile compounds of this plant in vitro and ex vivo was undertaken. Thus, the chemical volatile compounds excreted by the studied plant to attract insects were recognized with the application of the headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) coupled with the GC-MS technique. As the major volatile compounds (Z)-3-hexen-1-ol (16.48% ± 0.31), (E)-3-hexen-1-ol acetate (19.99% ± 0.01) and β-caryophyllene (11.30% ± 0.27) were identified. Further, both the chemical assumed to be responsible for attracting insects, i.e., pyridine (3.10% ± 0.07), and whole plants were used in in vivo bioassays with two insect species, namely Drosophila hydei and Acyrthosiphon pisum. The obtained results bring a new perspective on the possibilities of cultivating rare carnivorous plants in vitro since they are regarded as a valuable source of bioactive volatile compounds, as including ones with repellent or attractant activity.
Highlights
IntroductionThe genus Sarracenia (ca. 11 species) belongs to the family Sarraceniaceae, which contains the closely allied genera Darlingtonia Torr. (monotypic) and Heliamphora Benth. (ca. 23 species) [1]
The genus Sarracenia belongs to the family Sarraceniaceae, which contains the closely allied genera Darlingtonia Torr. and Heliamphora Benth. [1]
Two-way analysis of variance showed significant effect of interaction between the medium and cycles of passages on the following tested properties of developing S. alata: the height of plants, length of roots, fresh and dry weight
Summary
The genus Sarracenia (ca. 11 species) belongs to the family Sarraceniaceae, which contains the closely allied genera Darlingtonia Torr. (monotypic) and Heliamphora Benth. (ca. 23 species) [1]. The phylogenetic relationships of this carnivorous plant genus have recently been elucidated using target enrichment These pitcher plants are found in wet swampy areas with a lot of sunlight. S. purpurea and S. flava have been the most studied in terms of metabolite profile and medical usefulness [9] because they were traditionally used by many aboriginal communities as medicinal plants against a wide spectrum of diseases, including tuberculosis. These facts as well as the low propagation rate of Sarracenia spp. in their natural environment are the reason for treating these plants as an alternative source of propagation—in vitro reproduction. The knowledge of how to obtain microcuttings is limited [10] as micropropagation is carried out mainly in private companies
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