Production of selected secondary metabolites in callus and shoot cultures of Ficus religiosa L. - a valuable medicinal plant

Four different types of callus tissue were obtained from nodal explants of Ficus religiosa on conditions viz. FCt7 (2.0 mg/l TDZ+0.5 mg/l IAA), FCt13 (150 mg/l yeast extract+FCt7), FCt16 (100 mg/l casein hydrolysate+FCt7) and FCd1 (0.25 mg/l 2,4-D+2.0 mg/l IAA). The calli so obtained were subjected to biochemical analysis as well as shoot organogenesis. Callus raised on FCd1 medium was found richest in selected phytochemicals- natural phenols (211.2 mg/g), total flavonoids (98.07 mg/g), quercetin (6.47 mu g/g) and myricetin (10.05 mu g/g) (which was respectively 3.07 times, 2.6 times, 1.02 times and 5.52 times more than that in mother plant sample) but exhibited poor organogenic potential. While, callus from FCt16 medium exhibited comparatively low level of secondary metabolites but was highly organogenic; the other two types of calli (FCt7 and FCt13) exhibited a moderate response. The plants regenerated from the four different calli were found considerably rich in selected phytochemicals compared to seedling of the same age. Amongst these, plants differentiated from FCt13 callus exhibited unusually high amount of natural phenols (167.1 mg/g), total flavonoids (61.01 mg/g), quercetin (6.311 mu g/g) and myricetin (3.90 mu g/g), much higher to mother plant.