Anthocyanin production in a callus line of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Panax sikkimensis</Emphasis> Ban

A root-derived callus line of Panax sikkimensis that stably accumulates anthocyanins was established by small cell aggregate selection method. The selected line showed a growth index of 221.36 and an anthocyanin content of 2.76 mg/g fw (7.076% dw) in 50–60 d of growth on a modified MS medium containing 4.5 μM 2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid and 1.2 μM kinetin under 16-h light and 8-h dark photoperiodic conditions. Incubation under continuous light increased the growth index to 435.57 but led to a marginal dilution of anthocyanin content to 2.192 mg/g fw (6.928% dw). The purple-red pigment had absorption maximum at 528 nm. The selected callus line has shown sustained growth and productivity for more than 6 yr now. Interestingly, pigment accumulation in the selected line did not hinder the ginsenoside production in the callus tissue (0.9–1.2% fw).