Biomass production of Cymbopogon citratus (D.C.) stapf., a medicinal plant, in temporary immersion systems

Summary In vitro plants of lemon grass were established, starting from shoot apices derived from plants cultivated under field conditions. The effect of the immersion frequency (two, four, and six immersions per day) on the production of biomass in temporary immersion systems (TIS) of 1 liter capacity was studied. The highest multiplication coefficient (12.3) was obtained when six immersions per day were used. The maximum values of fresh weight (FW; 62.2 and 66.2 g) were obtained with a frequency of four and six immersions per day, respectively. However, the values for dry weight (DW; 6.4g) and height (8.97cm) were greater in the treatment with four immersions per day. The TIS used in this work for the production of lemon grass biomass may offer the possibility of manipulating the culture parameters, which can influence the production of biomass and the accumulation of secondary metabolites. We describe for the first time the in vitro production of Cymbopogon citratus biomass in TIS.