The toxicity of monoterpenes to plant cell cultures

The effects of exogenous monoterpenes on cellular viability and growth of fine suspension cultures of Pelargonium fragrans have been investigated in order to establish whether product toxicity might play a role in determining the level of monoterpene accumulation in morphologically undifferentiated plant cell cultures. Producing lines of P. fragrans accumulate monoterpenes in the medium at concentrations which we now demonstrate to be toxic to fine suspension cultures. The problems associated with end-product toxicity must be solved before the potential of plant tissue culture techniques for the commercial production of monoterpenes be fully realised.